Unraveling the Surprising Connection Between ‘The Leftovers’ and ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’

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It’s likely not unexpected to learn that the TV series The Leftovers was significantly inspired by Picnic at Hanging Rock, an Australian film by Peter Weir. Both shows share a common theme: the enigma of people who inexplicably vanish in a seemingly supernatural manner. In Picnic at Hanging Rock, it’s three schoolgirls and a teacher who disappear while investigating the rock formation, whereas The Leftovers starts with the sudden disappearance of 2% of the world’s population, an event known as “The Sudden Departure.” Both stories choose to delve into the impact of these mysteries on the community rather than providing explanations, resulting in a thought-provoking but possibly perplexing viewing experience for viewers.

Back in 2015, during an engaging chat with Maureen Ryan from Variety, the brilliant mind behind The Leftovers, Damon Lindelof, revealed that Picnic at Hanging Rock had left a lasting impact on our beloved seriesā€”but not quite in the manner one might assume. Let me share the fascinating tale of how Picnic on Hanging Rock seeped into The Leftovers and why fans should give this film a watch.

Damon Lindelof on ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’

Even though Lindelof watched Picnic before creating The Leftovers, it wasn’t until one of the show’s executive producers, Tom Spezialy, mentioned that he kept thinking about the movie while watching the first season, that Lindelof realized the resemblance between the film and his own series. This conversation led Lindelof to rewatch Picnic.

The Australian movie served as inspiration for Lindelof in creating a plotline that became crucial in The Leftovers‘ second season: the vanishing of numerous young girls during the debut episode, among them Evie Murphy (Jasmine Savoy Brown), who resides near Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), the series’ main character. Yet, this raised a challenge for Lindelof and his writing team: “Will the audience allow us to pull off what Peter Weir did, given that we’ve previously assured them we won’t explain the events surrounding The Departure?

In the end, they chose not to leave the mystery surrounding the vanished girls in The Leftovers unsolved like it is in Picnic at Hanging Rock. Instead, they followed the style of Hanging Rock by keeping viewers guessing for a while. The truth about their fate wasn’t revealed until the ninth episode. Since Season 2 of The Leftovers is widely considered its best, it seems they made a wise choice.

‘Picnic’ Is a Sensual But Ominous Film

One notable aspect of “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” besides its incomplete storyline, is its enigmatic and dreamlike ambiance, especially evident during sequences filmed on and around the Hanging Rock location. Peter Weir, the director, aimed to mimic the style of Impressionist paintings and Henri Cartier-Bresson’s photography in the film’s visual aesthetic. To achieve this, he had Russell Boyd, the cinematographer, place bridal veils of varying densities over his camera lens, resulting in the movie’s distinctive soft-focus and dreamy feel. The Sydney Morning Herald suggests that this technique makes the characters appear as “blurry, suggestive figures in a painting, rather than tangible, lifelike individuals.

Despite the picturesque landscapes and tranquil camera work, the film’s eerie sound design and chilling music score create an unsettling atmosphere. For example, when the girls ascend the rock before their vanishing, a chilling mix of music, ambient sounds, and a faintly mechanical hum can be heard, growing louder as they progress higher. Moreover, the film’s opening credits theme (which recurs throughout the movie) is a haunting pan-flute melody played by Romanian musician Gheorghe Zamfir that, like the rock, exudes both beauty and menace, suggesting that the seemingly inert Hanging Rock might be under the control of some malevolent supernatural entity.

‘The Leftovers’ and ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ Have a Similar Premise, but Different Themes

Although both stories revolve around mysterious disappearances, The Leftovers and Picnic at Hanging Rock explore this common theme in dramatically distinct ways. The Leftovers predominantly delves into themes of grief, personal and societal trauma, and how such experiences can lead to the formation of new religious movements or cults.

The themes in ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ can be a bit challenging to grasp due to its complex narrative and dreamlike style. However, it’s apparent that the film strongly focuses on the journey and experiences of adolescent girls. It also carries intense sexual undertones, both heterosexual and homosexual. For example, one of the missing students, Miranda (Anne-Louise Lambert), seems to be admired romantically by not just one, but two women: her quiet orphan classmate, Sara (Margaret Nelson), and their young French teacher, Mlle. de Poitiers (Helen Morse), who describes Miranda as akin to a Botticelli angel.

From my perspective, the film’s ethereal imagery mirrors the girls’ growing sexual awakenings. Conversely, their enigmatic vanishings might symbolize how the rigid morals of their senior Victorian figures, notably their headmistress (Rachel Roberts), have stifled their freedom to express their sexuality openly and live true to themselves.

breathtaking visuals and narratives exploring the divide between immigrants from Europe and the enigmatic allure of their unfamiliar homeland. The eerie, quasi-supernatural setting of Hanging Rock, which appears to have ensnared the girls, could symbolize the Australian wilderness itself attempting to communicate to its intrusive foreign visitors that they are unwelcome.

In essence, “Picnic at Hanging Rock” remains a complex and mysterious work that delves into various interpretations, and this article merely touches upon some of these. For those intrigued to explore their own perspectives, the film can be found, along with “The Leftovers”, on Max.

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2025-07-06 00:02