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Picnic at Hanging Rock

Play trailer Poster for Picnic at Hanging Rock PG Released Feb 2, 1979 1h 50m Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 53 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
In the early 1900s, Miranda (Anne Lambert) attends a girls boarding school in Australia. One Valentine's Day, the school's typically strict headmistress (Rachel Roberts) treats the girls to a picnic field trip to an unusual but scenic volcanic formation called Hanging Rock. Despite rules against it, Miranda and several other girls venture off. It's not until the end of the day that the faculty realizes the girls and one of the teachers (Vivean Gray) have disappeared mysteriously.
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Picnic at Hanging Rock

Picnic at Hanging Rock

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Critics Consensus

Visually mesmerizing, Picnic at Hanging Rock is moody, unsettling, and enigmatic -- a masterpiece of Australian cinema and a major early triumph for director Peter Weir.

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Critics Reviews

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Peter Bradshaw Guardian The film’s mystery still shimmers. Rated: 5/5 Feb 21, 2025 Full Review Kevin Maher The Times (UK) The “readings” are endless, the mood impossibly eerie and the legacy untouchable. Rated: 5/5 Apr 27, 2023 Full Review Joe Clay The Times (UK) Extraordinary, haunting classic... Oct 26, 2022 Full Review Soham Gadre Film Inquiry The various layers of feeling from ethereal coming-of-age fantasy, to domestic drama, to supernatural mystery to surreal nightmare turn Weir’s film into a beguiling experience that defies genre. Aug 28, 2025 Full Review Trace Thurman Horror Queers Podcast The ethereal and dreamlike vibes that Weir is able to capture are nothing short of magnificent. Rated: 3.5/5 Aug 18, 2025 Full Review Clotilde Chinnici FILMHOUNDS Magazine Such an ending is part of what makes it such an iconic and unforgettable movie that has certainly earned its place in film history as one of the best films in Weir's career and in the tradition of Australian cinema at large. Rated: 4/5 Jul 19, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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jacob c A phenomenal entry in Australian cinema, Picnic at Hanging Rock is a haunting mystery, expertly filmed, that exudes elegance and grace. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/23/25 Full Review Xoxo J best filming not bad lah Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/01/25 Full Review Sandi W filmnya recommended untuk kalian tonton Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/01/25 Full Review Fitri D Ini ide yang sangat bagus ya, terus menambah karya perfilm an Indonesia. Yang didalamnya terdapat beragam film, Terus berkembang ya dunia perfilm an, The best pokoknya Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/28/25 Full Review ranita s Good, fun and explore Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/28/25 Full Review Ana D This is one of my all time favorite movies, it has lingered in my mind since I saw it at 19 in 1979. Peter Weir made the most amazing movies, always a sense of mystery, wonder, and fear, of the unknown power of nature and how we cannot control it. It is the theme of Man Against Nature that you learned about in your literature classes, but visual and filled with a cinematic beauty that takes us away into the mystery nature in our lives. A classic along with his The Last Wave, must see films. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/28/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Picnic at Hanging Rock

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the early 1900s, Miranda (Anne Lambert) attends a girls boarding school in Australia. One Valentine's Day, the school's typically strict headmistress (Rachel Roberts) treats the girls to a picnic field trip to an unusual but scenic volcanic formation called Hanging Rock. Despite rules against it, Miranda and several other girls venture off. It's not until the end of the day that the faculty realizes the girls and one of the teachers (Vivean Gray) have disappeared mysteriously.
Director
Peter Weir
Producer
Jim McElroy
Distributor
Atlantic Releasing Corporation
Production Co
Australian Film Commission
Rating
PG
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
Australian English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 2, 1979, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jan 31, 2025
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 21, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$31.2K
Runtime
1h 50m
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