sometimes a life in film brings an experience like this . it oddly tense in some dimension and relax in others and the balance between the two seem distinctly australian . i hadn not see this when it be new and and i be glad . see a great film for the first time be a distinct pleasure . i can think of only two similar pleasure in life . reviewer often focus on the story while it the common currency for discussion . the interesting fact behind the power of this movie be that the story be incoherent and poorly develop . there be a few main character and none of them be attach to what be consider necessity for storytelling . they aren not introduce and we see them only through the effect of their presence . they do not develop . they influence nothing . the main character be present a a sort of jane austen  both an austen woman encourage to marry and and austen herself a a sort of author in her own book and like we saw in the 1999 film of mansfield park . but the odd thing be that we have austen in australia and the role and all the expectation without the baroque mechanic of society swirl around . instead we get cow and sheep . and emptiness and a cinematic vastness that even the u hasn not yet produce and despite terence malick . so the incompleteness of the story be part of the genius of the thing . our heroine doesn not have an austenian future and instead become a backcountry louisa may alcott or george sand . indeed and davis do go on to play sand and anderson go on to direct little woman . what our filmmaker have do be create a story where we subconsciously notice something be miss . and then she fill it with two thing and this translucent actress and a similarly translucent open landscape . first the landscape . watch the opening of this . it genius and shoot from outside in and peering in through window and door while we see  literally  the story begin to be write . then we shoot from the inside through the same windows out and see a dust tempest beginning . this notion of space and inadequate enclosure and book and heroine conflate into them and weave through them be copy after a fashion in the opening for the 2005 pride and prejudice . here and it be fresh and original and shock . effective and even life affirm . you can see a similar master vision in how the end be shape . we see our woman and a best friend by this time and go to mail her book to u . she approach the fence and her dog scurry under and unconstrained by fence . it a small thing and but by then we have become aware of how wonderfully our hidden woman behind the camera have shape everything so minutely . that dog move under the gate naturally and use a gait and hole that can only have come through hundred of such exit . i have no idea how anderson do it . and now to ms. davis . over time you pick thing from the film vocabulary that you cleave to and thing that naturally tip into the bucket of your soul . one of these for me be a certain type of folded act i have notice in australian actress . blanchett and winslet be the one i follow deeply . but you can see it here and i imagine that this be the first appearance of the style in a competent film . in my own historiography and judy davis invent it and do so here . if you watch her manner and you can see cate . the style be what i call fold and where we get both the character and a high level communication from the actor about the character . we have a few folded actress . what even rarer be when the actress be intelligent and skilled enough to place that high fold in the center of the filmmaker intention . it happen here . it beautiful and on a simpler level echo the fact that we see a book and it making and and various consideration about the making of the book . because it be this sort of translucent folding and we see cate when we see judy . you would not soon forget that . i be put this on my list of film you really must see . reader may be shock . i only allow myself two from any give year and this year give u alien and apocalypse now and manhattan and and tree of wooden clog and all of which be bump by this . but this will change you and a female herzog and unherzog . now if i can only see high tide . ted evaluation 4 of 3 represent every cineliterate person should experience this .