The Last Wave

It begins with a hailstorm falling from a clear Australian sky, and the tension only builds from there…

An ambitious tax lawyer from Sydney (played by Richard Chamberlain) is assigned to investigate the mysterious death of a young Aboriginal man. As he gradually delves into tribal customs and their possible influence on the case, he begins to experience disturbing (prophetic?) dreams. Over time, the protagonist forms an increasingly close bond with Chris Lee (played by the legendary David Gulpilil), one of the Aboriginal men accused of the crime, and with a system of Indigenous beliefs that even several centuries of white colonialism have failed to erase.

In The Last Wave, Weir continues his exploration of the relationship between the culture of the colonizers and Indigenous communities, making it—for the first time—the film’s central theme and introducing a key Aboriginal character into the plot. The atmosphere here is no less dense than in Picnic at Hanging Rock, thanks in no small part to Russell Boyd’s cinematography and to the music—which, for the first time in film history, draws so extensively on the sound of the didgeridoo, the traditional eucalyptus-wood wind instrument. Years later, Weir would say that he was interested in showing how a person reacts when struck by a sudden metaphysical premonition—a theme he would continue to explore in his later films, reaching its culmination in Fearless (1993), which serves as a kind of perfect coda to the ideas first developed in The Last Wave.

Michał Oleszczyk

Peter Weir (b. 1944) – director, screenwriter, and producer, and one of the central figures of the Australian New Wave. In the 1970s, he played a crucial role in establishing Australian cinema on the international stage, creating films marked by an atmosphere of mystery, spirituality, and quiet unease. He later transitioned smoothly from auteur filmmaking to Hollywood while retaining his distinctive voice, consistently exploring outsiders, individuals in conflict with systems of power, and the metaphysical dimensions of reality. A six-time Academy Award nominee, Weir has received numerous major honours, including an Honorary Oscar (2022) and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement (2024). He is a master of intelligent yet accessible cinema – one who has reached global audiences without ever sacrificing artistic depth or sensitivity.

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