The Plains

Synopsis

Every evening a man in his late 50s commutes home at the end of the working day in the outer suburbs of Melbourne. As the seasons pass in gentle rhythm we observe dramatic events of his life as well as mundane quotidian details, and learn more about the man, his inner conflicts and the relationships in his life – with his wife, his mother, deceased sister, and a younger co-worker whom he occasionally drives home. Within the microcosm of the car the film ultimately becomes a meditation on the passage of time, memory, work, and how love and the relationships in our life sustain us.

Director Biography

David Easteal (b. 1986) is a Melbourne based filmmaker. He studied law and literature at the University of Melbourne, and practises as a barrister at the Victorian Bar. His short films screened at various international festivals, including the New York, BFI London, Chicago, Kiev Molodist, Sofia and Singapore film festivals. He received the Award for Emerging Australian Filmmaker at the 2015 Melbourne International Film Festival. His first feature-length film, The Plains, received the Films en Cours post-production support award at Belfort International Film Festival Entrevues. The Plains premiered at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2022 as part of the Tiger Competition.