Clip description
After meeting up with his girlfriend Sophie (Amelia Warner), Alex has reluctantly agreed to Taylor’s suggestion that they travel together. They head into western Queensland, and tensions rise between the two men. Sophie tells Taylor (Scott Mechlowicz) that she and Alex will go off by themselves at the next major town, Longreach. Taylor then quietly shows Alex (Shaun Evans) that he still has the incriminating Polaroid. Alex almost crashes the car as he realises what is going on.
Curator’s notes
For much of the first half of the film, Taylor’s behaviour could just about be innocent. Even though he seems creepy, it’s possible that we are imagining things, like Alex – who thinks that he sees Taylor making advances toward Sophie. The production of the Polaroid in this scene is the first clear indication that Taylor is what we think he is – a scheming blackmailer, or worse. It’s also true that we are meant to see him as a very lonely character – so desperate for company that he has to blackmail Alex and Sophie to stay with him. This is probably a charitable view – as we learn later. The sequence is well constructed to build and release tension, with the hitting of the kangaroo coming as a major jolt.
