The Last Wave

The narrative is anchored in 1970s Australia, a decade of social change and environmental volatility. A montage at the film’s start places daily life—from classrooms to cityscapes—under an era of unusual weather phenomena. The period details shape the characters’ responses to a looming apocalypse.

The story unfolds across a mosaic of Australian settings—from rural desert schools to the dusty main street of an Outback town and the crowded streets of Sydney. The film uses these environments to contrast interior drought and urban life, highlighting how extreme weather unsettles communities across different locales. The settings frame a collision between Indigenous cosmology and European settlement.

🌊 Apocalypse

A pervasive sense of impending cataclysm threads through the story, with weather anomalies signaling disaster. The heavy rain, hail, and floods propel Burton toward a desperate investigation, blurring lines between science, superstition, and prophecy. The ending leaves open whether the catastrophe is a real event, a dream, or a symbolic omen.

🌀 Dreamtime

Dreamtime manifests as a parallel realm of meaning that informs Indigenous spirituality. Burton’s dreams and Chris Lee’s experiences merge with tribal rituals, challenging Western legal logic. The film uses these dream sequences to connect personal fear with ancestral knowledge and a broader sense of fate for the city.

⚖️ Indigenous Rights

The defense of Aboriginal men exposes political maneuvering and cultural misunderstanding within the legal system. The case questions who has the authority to narrate truth when ancient beliefs collide with modern law. Indigenous knowledge and cosmology become pivotal to the characters’ fates.

🌧️ Nature's Power

Extreme weather drives the plot, reshaping the city and steering the characters toward decisive actions. The relentless rain, frogs, and floods function as both a physical threat and a symbolic force that tests resilience. The film presents nature as a catalyst for crisis and a keeper of ancient secrets.