Plot
The film takes place in 1822 in Tasmania and is loosely based on a true story. A group of transported convicts, suffering brutal treatment at the Sarah Island penal settlement on Van Diemens Land, as Tasmania was then known (until 1856), escape into the wilderness in hopes of reaching the settlements to the east. Their enthusiasm and bravado soon give way to hunger, which saps their strength and causes them to despair. Former urban dwellers, the English, Irish and Scottish convicts realize that not only are they lost, but they do not even know how to hunt or fish. Hunger and despair forces the group to switch to cannibalism, and the band is separated by a difference in opinion on this. Some of the group members separate from the group and walk to their imminent death. The men do all in their power to keep moving, watch their back and avoid sleep, lest they be the next meal.Convicts
* Alexander Pearce – Aged 32, Irish, thief * Robert Greenhill – 32, English, sailor * Matthew Travers – 27, Irish, farmer * Alexander Dalton – 25, Irish, ex-soldier * John Mather – 24, Scottish, bread baker * Thomas Bodenham – 22, English, thief * William Kennerly – 44, Irish, thief * Edward 'Little' Brown – 48, English, profession unknownCast
Release and reception
''Van Diemen's Land'' was released in Australian cinemas on 24 September 2009, and was rated MA15+ for "strong violence and coarse language". It received mostly positive reviews, and earned an 80% approval rating onBox office
''Van Diemen's Land'' grossed $289,858 at the box office in Australia.See also
* Cinema of Australia * '' Dying Breed'' * '' The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce'' * Tasmanian GothicReferences
External links
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