Wake in Fright

Wake in Fright
Country: Australia
Director: Ted Kotcheff
Considered for years to be a lost film, this 1971 thriller has recently been restored. It's the story of a British schoolteacher’s descent into a personal hell. His demoralization takes place while he's stranded in a small town in outback Australia, at the hands of a bunch of drunken, deranged derelicts. Lauded for its stark and uncompromising vision by many, including Roger Ebert who said the film is “powerful, genuinely shocking” and celebrated musician/screenwriter Nick Cave, who said it's “the most terrifying film about Australia in existence.” (1971; 114 min)