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StevenPayneUnit3
Environment
PicnicatHangingRock
(1975)Dir.PeterWeir
PicnicatHangingRock
isperiodmysteryfilm,depictingthestoryofthedisappearanceofthreestudentsandtheirteacherwhilstexploringthepeakoftheHangingRock.ThemysteryofHangingRockisneverrevealed,withthetrueconclusionofthestudentsremainingamysteryalmostfortyyearsafterthefilm’srelease.Thedefinitiveexplanationremainsopentospeculationandinterpretation,andthisideaofleavingamysterydeliberatelyunsolvedhasbeenemployedinmorerecenttitles,suchasthepsychologicalthriller,
TheBlairWitchProject 
.Thefilmiscenteredonthemesofadolescenceandblossomingwomanhood,andultimatelythelossofinnocencethatcomeswiththem.
“Theopeningsectionofthefilmdramatizestheirinnocencewithsuchintensitythatweareimmediatelyawareofsexuallongingseverywhere”
(Canby,1979)Whilstthesexualthemesareneverparticularlybluntintheirpresentation,theyareeverpresentthroughout.Theall-girlsschoolsettingalonelendsitselftothesethemessogenerouslytheaudiencebarelyhastothinkaboutit.Thethemesoperateintandemwithideassurroundingthelossofinnocence,simplybecausetheblossomingsexualnatureofanindividualistypicallyanindicationoftheirtransitionintoadulthood,andconsequently,themovementawayfromtheinnocenceofchildhood.
“The“college’ismoreofafinishingschoolforadolescents,wholiveinahothouseatmospherewhereschoolgirlcrushesareinevitable” 
(Ebert,1998)Thestudent’sdisappearanceonHangingRockcouldsignifytheirtransitionintotheunknownofadulthood,withtheirzombie-likeinabilitytokeepawayfromthepeaksignifyingitsinevitability.Theymovewithoutfearofwhatistocomefromtheirfuture,whilstifyouaskanytypicaladult,they’llalmostdefinitelysaytheywanttobeachildagain.Itappearstobeaninterpretationoftheideathatallchildrenwantthefreedomofbeinganadult,whilstalladultswanttoinnocenceofchildhood.Thestudent’sattireemphasizestheirinnocence,withtightcorsetsandlong,flowingdressesintendedtoholdbacktheimpendingwomanhoodbeneath.Themomenttheyremovetheirshoes,asminorthisactionmaybe,itisasiftheyhavebeguntocastawaytheirprotectiveshellofinnocence,awaitingtheirconsumptionbytheirimpendingadulthood.Thenatural,uninhibitedsettingoftheAustralianoutbackimpliesthatthemysteriousoccurrenceistheworkofnatureitself,muchlikethatofthenatureofadolescence.Itisunstoppable,asmuchasapersonmaywishtofightit.
“Weir’semphasisisonnature’salienquality,howtheseprimgirlsaresetagainstunknowableforces” 
(Nathan,2010)
PicnicatHangingRock
usesmysteryandtheunknowntoaddressthenatureofgrowingupandthelossofinnocencetoadulthood.Whilsttheplotmaybeconsidereddifficulttofollowatsomepoints,theoverallmessageofthestoryisclearandaddressesthepointsitwishestomakeinaneffectiveandpowerfulfashion.
Fig1.
PicnicatHangingRock
FilmPoster
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