Rewatching Picnic at Hanging Rock at 50: an unsettling portrayal of place, silence and disappearance

Rewatching Picnic at Hanging Rock at 50: an unsettling portrayal of place, silence and disappearance

Picnic at Hanging Rock remains powerful today, especially in light of ongoing discussions about Indigenous sovereignty and reconciliation in Australia. The film’s mystery is never solved, forcing viewers to sit with the discomfort of what’s left unsaid. The girls represent white femininity, meant to bring culture and control. When they vanish, it’s as if the land rejects these colonial ideals. Based on Joan Lindsay’s 1967 novel, the story captur…