Cactus
Clip 2: Tears among the trees
2 min 20 sec
Taken from the feature Cactus (1986)
Original title classification M – this clip chosen to be G
Availability of the complete title
Curator’s clip description
Colo (Isabelle Huppert) and Robert (Robert Menzies) go for a walk near the house of Tom and Bea. Robert is inspired by the kookaburras. He returns their calls, which amuses Colo. She then dissolves into his arms, sobbing.
Curator’s notes
There is often a powerful sense of nature in Paul Cox’s films, and especially in this one. The relationship between these two is shown almost exclusively outdoors, amid trees, at least in the developing phase. It’s as if it’s an organic thing, growing with the forest. The beauty of the surroundings is almost unbearable for Colo, once she knows she may not be able to see it for much longer.
Paul Byrnes, curator
