Van Diemen's Land

Year: 2009
Country: AUSTRALIA
Run Time: 104 minutes

VAN DIEMEN'S LAND is based on the gruesome true story of Australia's most notorious convict, Alexander Pearce, and his infamous escape into the beautiful yet brutal Tasmanian wilderness. A point of no return for convicts banished from their homeland, VAN DIEMEN'S LAND was a feared and dreaded Australian penal colony at the end of the earth. Now it's 1822 and eight convicts have escaped from Macquarie Harbour in a fateful bid for freedom. This band of Irish, English, and Scottish thieves plummets into chaos as their plan fails and they are thrust into a harsh, unfamiliar landscape. With little food or equipment, they battle a merciless enemy – the unforgiving land, where God wields an axe. First-time director Jonathan auf der Heide draws parallels between Pearce's story and Dante's Inferno; and as Pearce and his comrades descend the circles of hell, they finally meet the Devil himself. It's an astonishing debut with strong performances by a talented cast, though the real heart of the film lies in the unyielding Tasmanian rainforest. (In Irish and 19th century English with subtitles) – B.B.

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