Kalahari

It's a credit to the actors and actresses of this film that they choose to work in a (intentional or unintentional) remake of the 1971 film Walkabout that takes place in Australia. Flattery is the best sort of compliment. Unfortunately, it doesn't lead to great movies. Far Off Place takes what was an amazing little-known film and moves it to Africa, adds a corny love interest, and of course includes some evil villains in an attempt to update the film for a wider audience. Gabo, the African guide, tells the characters "Don't look back" - well, Gabo "Don't look in the first place." Unless of course you promise to watch Walkabout, too.

A Far Off Place is indeed an excellent film. The main reason for this is the characters, the character of Nonnie Parker (Reese Witherspoon) in particular.

Reese's character of Vanessa Lutz in "Freeway" was, like the rest of the movie, one of Matthew Bright's bad acid-trips. The character of Nonnie Parker, however, is portrayed by Reese Witherspoon in such a way that Nonnie takes on a life of her own. She doesn't say much, we don't know much about her, yet for some reason, she seems as real as you and me. If you're really into the movie, you might even fall in love with her.

Reese Witherspoon has portrayed several different types of characters, so it's doubtful we'll ever know what she's like off-screen. I would hope, however, that she's just like Nonnie Parker.

This story has so much knowledge and truth behind it, it's amazing. Reese is very good in this movie, and it's one of her best films ever. She is amazing & she is smart in this movie. Staying strong and surviving is harder than TV shows, and this movie teaches us so much. That friends and family is more important than anything, and we can make it through difficult times if we just stick together and stay strong. This film is great, and I respect Reese alot more than what I already did now. She should be proud to have portrayed such an emotional and well-rounded role. I'm sure she is proud. This film is great, the acting is cool, and it's emotional. But it's good family fun, or maybe just fun for the Reese fanatic like me.

This movie about the struggles of these young people in a hostile environment, not knowing who to trust, and learning to know and trust themselves and each other, truly touched me. I have the tape and it is one that I enjoy watching again and again. Several observers have indicated that "A Far Off Place" is a poor re-make of the Australian-set "Walk-About". If they had paid attention to the writing credits, they would have found that "Walk-About" was based on the novel of the same name by James Vance Marshall. "A Far Off Place" is based on two novels by Laurens van der Post: "A Story of the Wind" and "A Far Off Place". Van der Post was by far the more acclaimed author. Several reviewers of both movies have commented on the animal death scenes. In this movie, in the Kalahari, the unanswered question I have wondered about is; what happened to Nonni's dog?

There are so many things I love about this movie. The score is wonderful, and the actors reveal human depth without dragging us through tiresome dialogue. They learn compassion, selflessness, and perseverance. Even though the plot starts out familiar; two kids at odds with each other, on their own, the film doesn't fall into a rut. instead it presents a refreshing uniqueness with it's quality. It inspires without trying too hard, something most movies fail at horribly. I'm surprised this film is so obscure, but considering how good it is, maybe it isn't.