Picnic at Hanging Rock

Still continuing a few reviews of films that take place in a hotter climate than where I am now, here's my take on the classic, both cult and otherwise, directed by Peter Weir, Picnic at Hanging Rock.  It takes place in late 1800s.  Students at a girls school in Australia go on a picnic, ostensibly to study the local geography, at a site called Hanging Rock.  One student, Sara, a girl who has a slightly lesbian love for a classmate, and a nervous teacher, are not allowed to attend per the headmistress (the headmistress perhaps has a bias toward them).  The girls overall are seen as very obsessive about romance and moon-y, and the trip takes place on Valentine's Day, but since it is "down under" the weather is pretty hot this time of year.

Two teachers chaperone, one is the masculine though female mathematics teacher and the other is the very feminine French teacher (Helen Morse).  Being a hot day many of them nap near the rock formation while four girls explore.  These girls are seen by two boys nearby, a visiting Brit Michael who sees the beautiful Miranda, and his young valet who happens to be the brother of Sara, the girl left behind; the siblings are orphans so Sara's financial status is below that of her classmates, which may play into the headmistress' bias of her.

Three of the four wandering girls in a sort of dream state go into a crevice in the rocks, and three of them the math teacher go missing, while the fourth becomes hysterical and can remember nothing or very little of the event or what happened.  Searches are made and the boys and others give witness statements, but nothing can be explained.

Michael becomes a bit obsessive about finding Miranda and makes an attempt to do so.  Later one of the girls reappear but she can remember nothing.  There are many unexplained answers.  Families start removing their daughters from the school.  Although she is losing a lot of students, the headmistress also forces Sara, the orphan, out of the school since her patron has been unable to make payments.  Sara is later found under tragic circumstances.

The film implies a lot of things, perhaps there is some area at Hanging Rock where time stops--a couple people's watches stop whether due to some magnetism in the rocks or some other reason is unexplained in the story.  The hypnotic state the girls and missing teacher are in also is unexplained.  Perhaps they traveled to a different time or just simply fell into a crevasse.  A lesbian undercurrent is suggested in the characters and I think fits into the Victorian setting, supported by the event taking place on Valentine's Day and the cliquish behavior of the missing girls.

The headmistress' behavior toward Sara is also unexplained.  Does she have a bias because Sara is an orphan and not the quality of clientele she would like?  Or does she suspect Sara is a lesbian?  Why does Sara cause the tragedy that she does, because she has been kicked out of school?  Or because the object of her affection, Miranda, is no longer there?

There are no answers in Picnic, but as you see the film suggests some pretty wild explanations, especially for a period film.