With a touch of Antonioni-esque existentialism, the dark Outback gets a fresh examination in Ivan Sen’s brooding mystery, “Limbo.” The film explores the story of the lost and what constantly remains in an area of breathtaking beauty and deeply rooted racial injustice. The audience is drawn in by the cold case, but the captivating performances by Simon Baker and Natasha Wanganeen are what keep them hooked. However, Sen’s black and white cinematography that beautifully captures a desolate South Australian town is the main charm of the film.
Sen’s taste for socially aware, gritty crime saga, reminiscent of “Bad Day at Black Rock,” has already proven successful with his previous films, “Mystery Road” and “Goldstone.” Both films starred Aaron Pedersen as an Indigenous detective investigating corruption and secrets in rural communities. Sen, who is of Indigenous and European descent, continues this storytelling approach with “Limbo,” a film centered around a man seeking answers about the 20-year-old disappearance of an Indigenous schoolgirl in the remote, desolate opal mining town of Limbo. In this case, our investigator is a quiet white man, equally affected by the lasting scars of a harsh land.
The character of Travis, played by a ruggedly transformed Baker, arrives in Limbo to investigate whether the girl’s probable murder, which was never officially resolved, is worth re-investigating. The fact that Travis, a man of few words, listens to Christian sermons on the radio, yet shoots up as soon as he checks into his motel room, suggests that he is grappling with more than just the demons he might uncover in his investigation.
Initially, Travis encounters resistance from the missing Charlotte’s surviving family. Her stepbrother Charlie (Rob Collins), who lives in a trailer, often drunk and gloomy, still resents the racial harassment he received from white police officers who barely investigated the case at the time. Emma (Wanganeen), Charlotte’s older sister, is estranged from Charlie but is raising his two children, along with her own daughter. They are barely surviving on her scant waitress wages and whatever they can find scavenging for opals in the vast rock piles.
Travis’ attempt to find the prime suspect, a sleazy white local known for supplying drugs and alcohol to local teenage girls, seems futile. Travis learns from the suspect’s reclusive brother (Nicholas Hope) that he died last year. As Travis follows leads, new information surfaces, but it appears as though his journey to the middle of nowhere to solve one crime has unveiled a landscape of alienation and suffering, the result of years of injustice. Despite his growing bond with Emma, which reveals details of his troubled past and invites playful teasing from her children, Baker and Wanganeen present a masterful portrayal of subtle acting. The exploited land might be full of voids, yet it is also riddled with emotional landmines.
“Limbo,” scored and edited by Sen himself, is ostensibly a murder mystery, complete with clues and a solution that is both biting and believable, albeit indirectly presented. Yet the narrative seems more like a platform for Sen’s meticulously created black-and-white ambiance, immersing us in a drained, faded world of loss, rage, and concealment. With a small cast of characters led by Baker’s compassionate cowboy melancholy and Wanganeen’s hardened solitude, “Limbo” is as much a last-stand western as it is a crime story.
Nothing illustrates this better than Sen’s astute choice of the real-life Australian settlement of Coober Pedy to represent his fictional Limbo. Most homes and businesses here are built into the region’s sandstone, creating an environment that feels like a return to cave times. While this is a practical measure to beat the heat, it also provides a rich atmosphere for a noir tale of isolation and concealment, showing how the past can often feel inescapable.
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My name is Alex Carter, a journalist with a deep passion for independent cinema, alternative music, and contemporary art. A University of California, Berkeley journalism graduate, I’ve honed my expertise through film reviews, artist profiles, and features on emerging cultural trends. My goal is to uncover unique stories, shine a light on underrepresented talents, and explore the impact of art on our society. Follow me on SuperBoxOffice.com for insightful analysis and captivating discoveries from the entertainment world.