Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)

In 1900 Australia, a group of schoolgirls and two of their schoolmistresses go on a picnic to a secluded place called Hanging Rock on Valentine's Day. Three of the schoolgirls and one of the schoolmistresses disappear and the mystery of what happened to them and the search for them comprise the bulk of the film. Based on the novel by Joan Lindsay and directed by Peter Weir (DEAD POETS SOCIETY). When it opened in the U.S., it was a critical success although audiences were hostile that the film's mystery was never solved. It's a beauty of a complex mystery with supernatural trimmings and stunning imagery shot by Russell Boyd (STARSTRUCK). Weir does a remarkable job of conjuring up an unsettling atmosphere and giving Hanging Rock an ominous yet sensual milieu. One can feel the enigma of the setting yet feel the pull of the place. We understand what compels the girls to venture where they shouldn't. Truly, a film that can be accurately described as haunting. With Rachel Roberts, Helen Morse, Jacki Weaver, Anne Louise Lambert, Dominic Guard, John Jarratt and Margaret Nelson.