Overview
Two siblings lost in the Australian Outback discover the true meaning of survival and connection.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- haunting
- dreamy
- contemplative
- reflective evening
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a visually extraordinary, haunting landmark of survival cinema whose lyrical natural imagery and David Gulpilil's debut performance deepen its exploration of cultural isolation and communication.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The stranded siblings depend on the Aboriginal boy's land knowledge while struggling to understand why returning to civilization matters to them.
The Outback is rendered through intensely saturated, uncanny images of wildlife, heat, water, and open space.
The siblings and the walkabout boy cannot verbally communicate, making gestures, survival skills, and cultural assumptions central to their relationship.
The boy's walkabout is explicitly presented as a months-long rite of passage into manhood and structures the film's cultural encounter.
Films like Walkabout, and why
The New World
shared emphasis on adolescent innocence, wilderness, visual naturalism, and cultural displacement
The Black Stallion
shared lyrical landscapes, youthful outsiders, cross-cultural encounter, and contemplative atmosphere
The Mission
shared survival journey, colonial critique, alienation from civilization, and immersive wilderness imagery
The Secret of Roan Inish
shared coming of age structure, environmental sensitivity, and poetic observation of children in an unfamiliar world
Movie Details
- Director
- Nicolas Roeg
- Release Date
- 1971-07-01
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (475)
Cast
- Jenny Agutter
- Luc Roeg
- David Gulpilil
- John Meillon
- Robert McDarra
- Peter Carver
- John Illingsworth
- Hilary Bamberger
- Barry Donnelly
- Noeline Brown
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Walkabout about?
- Two British siblings stranded in the Australian Outback rely on an Aboriginal boy's walkabout knowledge in Nicolas Roeg's haunting meditation on survival, culture, and failed communication.
- What is Walkabout like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Walkabout as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Walkabout violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Walkabout as mild.
- What did critics think of Walkabout?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a visually extraordinary, haunting landmark of survival cinema whose lyrical natural imagery and David Gulpilil's debut performance deepen its exploration of cultural isolation and communication.
- Which films are like Walkabout?
- Films with a similar feel include The New World, The Black Stallion, The Mission, and The Secret of Roan Inish.
- How long is Walkabout?
- Walkabout runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch Walkabout?
- In United States, Walkabout streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel.
