A mesmerising film about colonialism, sexual repression and Antonioni-esque alienation, Picnic at Hanging Rock's dreamlike aesthetic is haunting.
Originally the novel concluded with a chapter that her editor reasonably rejected, one that teeters between the baffling and the bizarre, finally landing with a supernatural thud. Lindsay (who died in 1984) had willingly agreed to omit it.
— Thom Delapa (Cineaste, Fall 2024)
Synopsis: In the early 1900s, Miranda attends a girls boarding school in Australia. One Valentine's Day, the school's typically strict headmistress treats the girls to a picnic field trip to an unusual but scenic volcanic formation called Hanging Rock. Despite rules against it, Miranda and several other girls venture off. It's not until the end of the day that the faculty realizes the girls and one of the teachers have disappeared mysteriously.