SXSW 2021 Review: ‘The Drover’s Wife’ Tries its Hand at Twists and Turns, but Lacks the Development to Make it More


Is “The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson,” a strange, convoluted story, full of unlikable characters who have barely any effect on the audience? Does it have bland cinematography and music that slows every scene down to a halt? And worst of all, is it just not fun to watch? The answer to all of the above, is unfortunately yes. But it showed up. Despite being a bore and a mess, it delivers a story that I wouldn’t have otherwise even known about. And for that, I give it credit where credit is due.

“The Drover’s Wife” is based on a short story of the same name. It’s about an Australian pregnant woman in the late 1800s whose husband is off droving (walking livestock) for the past six months as she takes care of her kids. The story is the most basic skeleton of the film, introducing us to the character of Molly Johnson and her children. The movie goes far beyond the story in terms of plot, adding tons of story beats and key moments of conflict.

Molly Johnson is portrayed by Leah Purcell, who is also the writer and director of the film. While her character is a good one, there’s no more than meets the eye. Molly is a strong, independent woman, who is still emotionally suppressed by the status quo of the times, but why does that matter if her character stays static up until the climax of the film? There’s also this British couple who appears in the beginning of the film, and they take care of her children for some reason and bring them into town. I really couldn’t tell you why those characters exist and what they even had to do with anything. It was obviously just a plot device to get the children out of the picture and for them to ultimately take part in Molly’s fate. There’s even a side story between the couple, and it’s one of the most shoehorned plot points I have ever seen. I couldn’t tell you a single thing about them, and that shows how weak their characters were.

One of the better characters is Yadaka, a fugitive who shows up on Molly’s land, who unbeknownst to Molly is wanted for murder. He has a gentle yet sinister demeanor, and is one of the few characters who actually has development. Of course, he’s only used to propel the story, and once she does, Purcell throws him to the side and we never see him again.

Director/Writer/Actor Leah Purcell. Photo: courtesy SXSW Film Festival.

As a big fan of Westerns, I was looking forward to watching one from another side of the world. Unfortunately, this Western vibe only occurs for a few seconds, but it was the highlight of the film. As Molly rides through the landscape, an amazing electric guitar riff blares through the screen, emitting a classic Western feel. It was a great moment full of triumph and excitement, and the only time the music added to the film. Every single scene was slowed down to a stop by the unexciting score, dragging an already boring conversation down deeper. 

The themes were apparently clear the whole time, but the lack of subtlety didn’t take away its impact at all. Purcell’s adaptation adds a sort of feminist twist to the short story, something that wasn’t entirely present in the original. As the plot moves forward, several flashbacks reveal that this story is, in essence, a revenge story about a woman getting back at the people who hurt her. I think they went a little overboard with her abuse, however—a film trope that is far too glorified. 

I was also a little worried that they would have Molly be pregnant for the whole film, adding an entire layer of tensity, but they decided to go the other way and have her give birth in the first half hour. And I’m glad they did, as the badass pregnant woman trope has been done many times before, and I doubt “The Drover’s Wife” would match the greatness of films such as “A Quiet Place” and “Fargo.” But still, the addition of that theme does greatly improve the message of the movie.

There’s a number of various twists and turns, and it’s clear that they were meant to shock the audience. But when the characters and backstories are so undeniably forgettable, the impact is weak and the twist isn’t earned.

I’m glad to see a film that’s setting and characters are so different from what I’d usually see in Hollywood movies. But that doesn’t excuse it from having a boring plot and forgettable characters. A movie can have the most original plot ever made, but who cares if it doesn’t have heart?