Late in the 19th century in the Australian outback everyone in a small farming community knows his or her place and what is expected. All except Sybylla Melvyn (Judy Davis), that is, a headstrong young woman who wants a career--an idea that shocks her family and friends. Resisting the rigid
codes of society and the marriage proposal of a wealthy man, Harry Beecham (Sam Neill, in a fine portrayal), Sybylla plows ahead with pluck and charm.
Davis gives a lively and humanistic performance, and the direction by Gillian Armstrong (MRS. SOFFEL, HIGH TIDE), in her feature debut, matches her heroine's character: strong, with a good sense of wanting to get something done and then doing it. The mise-en-scene is well composed, and the story
is well told in this wonderful Australian work. leave a comment