Overview
A haunting mystery unfolds as a group of young girls vanishes without a trace, leaving behind whispers of intrigue and unanswered questions.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- dreamy
- foreboding
- sensual
- quiet evening
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as a visually mesmerizing, moody, enigmatic landmark of Australian cinema whose unresolved mystery deepens its artistic power.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The disappearance at Hanging Rock is presented through questions and suggestive details rather than a definitive solution.
Hanging Rock dominates the excursion and is contrasted with the European rituals and assumptions of the school community.
The girls' boarding-school setting, Valentine's Day excursion, and Victorian morality frame the film's sensual and psychological tensions.
The 1900 Australian setting combines European settlers' social order with an ancient landscape experienced as mysterious and threatening.
Films like Picnic at Hanging Rock, and why
The Virgin Suicides
shared enigmatic mystery, lyrical period atmosphere, sensual visual style, and unresolved emotional tension
Days of Heaven
shared slow-burn historical atmosphere, impressionistic cinematography, adolescent sexuality, and dreamlike ambiguity
The Secret Garden
shared coming-of-age perspective, secluded girls' institution, gothic unease, and elusive mystery
The Last Wave
shared Australian New Wave sensibility, haunting landscape, and mysteries that resist conventional resolution
Movie Details
- Director
- Peter Weir
- Release Date
- 1975-09-02
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (919)
Cast
- Rachel Roberts
- Vivean Gray
- Helen Morse
- Kirsty Child
- Tony Llewellyn-Jones
- Jacki Weaver
- Anne-Louise Lambert
- Karen Robson
- Jane Vallis
- Christine Schuler
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Picnic at Hanging Rock about?
- At a Victorian girls’ school, a Valentine’s Day excursion into the Australian bush opens an enduring mystery that beauty and reason cannot contain.
- What is Picnic at Hanging Rock like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Picnic at Hanging Rock as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Picnic at Hanging Rock violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Picnic at Hanging Rock.
- What did critics think of Picnic at Hanging Rock?
- Critics broadly regard it as a visually mesmerizing, moody, enigmatic landmark of Australian cinema whose unresolved mystery deepens its artistic power.
- Which films are like Picnic at Hanging Rock?
- Films with a similar feel include The Virgin Suicides, Days of Heaven, The Secret Garden, and The Last Wave.
- How long is Picnic at Hanging Rock?
- Picnic at Hanging Rock runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch Picnic at Hanging Rock?
- In United States, Picnic at Hanging Rock streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max.
