The Rover is unflinchingly bleak in it's portrayal of a post apocalyptic Australia where society has regressed into a mistrusting and primal way of life. The world as we currently know it is gone and many of the things we now take for granted are in decline, and consequently expensive and sought after. Violence is prevalent in such a world - and a way of life - just as it has been so in the past of human history. The story focuses on Eric played by Guy Pearce. His car is stolen - and he goes about retrieving it with a violent vengeance as he discovers that Rey, played by Robert Pattinson, is the injured brother of one of the thieves they have carelessly left behind. Eric and Rey form an unlikely and uncomfortable bond as they journey towards the climax of the movie, and it is this bond that gives the story any form of hope and redemption for humanity. Pattinson is very good in his role as Rey. He plays a very simple and incredibly fragile man forced to take actions unnatural to him to survive. Pearce steals the show with his gritty performance. He is mysterious, brutal and intense. The world he lives in has hardened him considerably. But he still has love in his heart which is proved both with his relationship with Rey, and the final moment where we discover just what made him want his car back so badly. The Rover is underrated, and a triumph for Australian cinema.
Review of The Rover
