The Plains is an unusual road movie and at the same time a self-contained film, the backdrop of which is almost entirely the interior of a car. Apart from the idyllic drone footage of leisure activities in the countryside, which is in direct contrast. We follow Andrew, a middle-aged lawyer from Melbourne, as he drives home from work over the course of a year. Sometimes he takes his colleague David (the film's director) with him. The lost time of the daily commute, anathema to many, is illuminated here in an incredibly engaging way, inviting us to appreciate the little things in life: not the obviously charming chirping bird that you haven't paid any attention to, but the seemingly boring moments that can pass you by unnoticed.
Towards the end of this understated epic journey, you feel like reading the last pages of a book that has touched you deeply: you start to procrastinate reading it, savoring each page so that you don't come to the inevitable end. The same applies to the film: the characters grow close to our hearts, their humanity, which is revealed very quietly, their worries and their warmth. We share their perspective from the back seat of the car, no longer just spectators, but have become travel companions and want the journey to continue. Susana S. Rodrigues
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David Easteal
David Easteal (born 1986) is a Melbourne-based filmmaker. He studied Law and Literature at the University of Melbourne and is currently practicing as a solicitor at the Victorian Bar. His short films have screened at several international festivals including New York, BFI London, Chicago, Kiev Molodist, Sofia and Singapore. He received the Award for Emerging Australian Filmmaker at the 2015 Melbourne International Film Festival and his first feature-length film, The Plains, won the Films en Cours Post-Production Support Award at the Belfort International Film Festival Entrevues. *The Plains premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2022 as part of the Tiger Competition.
