Though she’s onscreen the entire time, Mia Wasikowska has surprisingly few lines in her new film Tracks. That’s because she plays Robyn Davidson, who trekked 1,700 miles across the Australian desert in 1977, mostly in the company of three camels and a dog.
“I think there’s a tendency to over-explain things in films, and spell it out for the audience,” she said. “I like that it left some of the word up to the audience.”
Directed by John Curran and co-starring Adam Driver, Tracks is based on Davidson’s best-selling memoir about her desire to be alone in nature. She embarks on the trip specifically to avoid seeing people, and is constantly annoyed by the fascination with her trip. “The film shouldn’t make people want to necessarily want to get a camel and go into the desert,” Wasikowska said, “but it should make people realize they can create their own path and their own life.”
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Write to Charlotte Alter at charlotte.alter@time.com