In 1882, several convicts escaped custody to brave the harsh conditions of Van Diemen's Land in Tasmania. One of the escapees throughout the film is based on the real life convict Alexander Pearce (Oscar Redding). Journeying into the wilderness, Pearce and seven others were faced with the sheer ruggedness of the landscape and limited resources. As some of the men succumbed to injury, the others had no choice but to slaughter their fellow man and then devour them so they would be able to continue on and not starve to death. Much of the tension throughout the film is derived from each man knowing that he is at risk of being the next person to be killed.

The first feature film from director Jonathan Auf Der Heide is a great technical achievement. The cinematography throughout Van Diemen's Land contains some of the most beautiful shots you are likely to see this year. Many of the films images have a painterly-like quality to them and the use of the saturated colour scheme ensures a highly unique and textured depiction of the outback. One of the most haunting images is also its ugliest though, as a close-up shot captures a British guard munching down on something. It is as though this is foreshadowing the evil we are bound to see throughout the film.

Although one can admire the quality of these aesthetics, the films decision to be as objective as possible works to its detriment. Heide previously made the short film Hell's Gate, which shared the same story about Pearce and his escape, and also starred Oscar Redding. It would seem that Heide has not expanded the story from this short film. This is not a full length biopic about Alexander Pearce, nor is there any intention to detail the lives of the other convicts either. Their psychological wellbeing is rarely explored with any personal insights. It is disappointing that despite the verisimilitude and authenticity towards the look of the film, the characterisation and narrative remain utterly minimal. There is no time dedicated towards any of the characters, leaving the film as a passive experience rather than an emotional one. The performances throughout the film are solid with sporadic dialogue, but we needed to get to know these characters well so that we could care about their struggle more.

Perhaps one of the most fascinating elements that can be taken indirectly from the cannibalism is the subversion of the Australian archetype of mateship. The mythology of the Aussie battler, looking after his mates, evaporates rapidly as men are slaughtered like cattle in their sleep, to ensure the survival of others. The murder scenes are intensely staged throughout the film and feel fitting with the films grittiness. Much of the violence is shown off-screen but the audible screams and slaps of the axe ensure that these moments are gruesomely, rather than emotionally, affecting. The film's most damning death occurs before a blow is landed, as a convict is bitten by a snake, inevitably suggesting that he will not be able to continue and will have to be slaughtered.

Van Diemen's Land is a beautiful film to behold but a lot more work was needed on the screenplay. The lack of depth, development and characterisation certainly diminishes much of the films power and its emotion, while the lack of narrative drive will have many questioning the actual point of the film. Despite this, the intense moments of violence and the lack of morality may still provoke some to question what they would have done under the same strenuous conditions and circumstances.