The Last Wave (1977)

Director: Peter Weir
Starring: Richard Chamberlain, Olivia Hamnett, David Gulpilil, Nandjiwarra Amagula, Frederick Parslow

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The Last Wave is without a doubt the best movie I've seen in a long time. Now the disclaimer: I enjoy the hell out of apocalypse, post-apocalypse, and prophesied-apocalypse movies. Another: since I was a child, I've always had a love for and fascination with water (particularly me playing with it or being in it). Another: as a kid I loved the X-files, UFO shows, specials about the Bermuda Triangle or anything else that was "beyond". The Last Wave is a prophesied-apocalypse film involving heavy rainfall whose secret can only be deciphered by navigation and interpretation of Aboriginal Dreamtime. Batting 1.000 so far. Chamberlain and his co-stars are outstanding. The cinematography is gorgeous. The directing is spot on. The Last Wave is one of those films whose appeal can't be explained by its plot (mostly because the plot is only the surface of what goes on in the film). One literally has to see the movie not to believe it, but to experience it. I won't say much more other than that it's one of the most beautiful and terrifying movies I've ever seen.

I'll close by listing a few of the other films, shows, books, etc. I thought of while watching The Last Wave and that are also worth checking out: The Wicker Man, H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu stories or anything about the Ancients, a lot of the "big fucking robot" animes like Neon Genesis Evangelion or RahXephon. These all feature a single journey-person who leaves their normal, civilized life and become some entangled or linked to something pre-civilization force--a religion/spirituality, a spirit, a creature, a big fucking robot, etc. There's an pervasive fear of unleashing said force/being unable to stop it/being invaded by it. The return of this force would inevitably lead to some kind of apocalypse state of the world. This return is usually prophesied (i.e. pre-determined, unstoppable).

July 3
apartment TV, early afternoon

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