The Last Wave (1977)

 

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It is quite apparent that director Peter Weir liked to tell half stories back in his early days. “Picnic at Hanging Rock” was only half the story told and this, “The Last Wave” is another such half-finished tale. I understand the desire to keep some mystery and that is fine with me, but with “The Last Wave” that move is brutal.

Tax lawyer David Burton (Richard Chamberlain) is living his ordinary, quiet upper middle class life when he is asked to take on a criminal case under the Australian Legal Aid program. A small group of Aboriginal men stand accused of murder of a fellow Aboriginie. This is unusual for David, both because he normally deals with corporate tax and because he has had absolutely no contact before with the Aboriginal community. Soon, however, it is clear to David that there is a lot more than a simple murder story here. Whatever happened is connected to a number of weird and intense weather phenomena hitting Australia and taps into Aboriginal cosmology.

It is very difficult to describe what is going on when the movie turns mystical. I suppose that is the nature of mystery, but like David we only get hints and leads and even though David presses hard for answers he only ever gets half answers. What we do learn, and this may be a spoiler, though maybe not really, is that David does have a spiritual connection to the Aboriginal world, that he has the skill of premonition, at least in his dreams and that the Aboriginals recognize this connection in him.

To David this is very frightening, and he does not know what to do with it. He understands it is fundamental for his murder case, but there is no interface between Australian law and tribal law and so it does not help him. What David senses is an oncoming cataclysmic event (maybe a giant tsunami?) but there is nothing he can do about it. He is like a climatologist 10 or 20 years ago predicting the weather we have now, but nobody could or wanted to listen because it did not fit with their world.

What I like in “The Last Wave” is the active participation and role of the Aboriginals. Especially David Gulpilil as Chris Lee and Nandjiwarra Amagula as the sorcerer Charlie. There is a window here into their world that is more detailed and poignant for strengths and weaknesses than we usually see. There is a darkness too that is not a little frightening. The idea of Dreamtime juxtaposed to our reality.

“The Last Wave” also bears some resemblance to the last movie I wached, “Close Encounters”. David, like Roy, is getting obsessed with these images and feelings and they are compelling him to depart from his own life, scarring the rest of his family. The Aboriginies may not be little green men from outer space, but they carry the same significance of something important happening. The main difference is the pessimism and the impotence at doing anything about it and this is where I feel this is half a story. A man learns of impending doom and… and then what? Maybe the message is impotence, but I do feel robbed of half the story. It is also rather weird what is happening in the sacred cave, and I was trying to make sense of it. Was it a prophecy? Or is it a depiction of a cyclic event that is now happening again? And what is David’s role, except for having the premonition and knowing the Aboriginals are connected to it?

Finally, I should mention that this is the first appearance on the List of Richard Chamberlain. He did mostly television, but what television! His shows were a staple in my childhood home, and it is nice to have caught up with him on the List.

“The Dark Wave” is oddly unsatisfying, but it is not a bad movie. It promises a lot, even greatness, but does not quite make it there. Still, worth a watch. It is magic time…