Robyn Davidson's solo 1700 mile trek across the burning sands of Western Australia is an extraordinary achievement. Brave, tenacious, troubled and conflicted, Davidson's motivation is unclear. Tough and uncompromising with people, Mia Wasikowska' Robyn shows great tenderness and affection towards the animals travelling with her: her devoted dog Diggity, and the three feral camels she has broken and trained, with whom she establishes a mutual bond of affection. A baby camel comes too, never straying far from its mother - but from Davidson? Well...

Sporadic human contact at key moments of difficulty is as unvarnished and genuine as Davidson's character allows. Despite the insensitivity of the National Geographic photographer Rick Smolan (Adam Driver), assigned by her sponsors to photograph the trip, the native Aboriginals whose sacred lands Davidson plans to cross, come to her aid - recognising that she is different. Rolley Mintura's Aboriginal elder is touching and dignified., the two having little language to share, except their common humanity. Davidson's sensitivity to Aboriginal custom, and Mintura's outrage when she inadvertently flouts it, is wonderfully portrayed. Smolan too, cares for Davidson beyond his photographic brief - he helps save her life, by his regular provision of water containers across a challenging stretch of desert. Davidson determines to tackle the stretch alone, yet softens, allowing Smolan fleeting intimacy without commitment.

The landscapes are stupendous, the dangers real, and the modern world with its cameras, tourists and TV crews as intrusive and unwelcome to the lyricism of the film's mood, as to Davidson herself. Only a snake constituted a brief lapse in directorial restraint. Elsewhere, Wasikowsa's mesmerising performance under great Western skies was as captivating as it was ultimately inexplicable. Like Sean Penn's Into The Wild, the protagonist can either excite sympathy or contempt. Never apologise. Never explain. Let it be.