The Hunter    by director Daniel Nettheim  When I first read
Julia Leigh’s novel The Hunter back in 2000, I was struck by its
exquisite literary qualities: the language, the poetry, the
unsettling atmosphere, the pared back minimalism of her style.
These were not the elements, however, that convinced me it could
work as a film. What I most strongly responded to in cinematic
terms was a unique premise, a compelling central character and a
powerful use of the natural landscape.  On the surface, the
premise seems straightforward enough; a ruthless mercenary
approaching the end of his professional career is sent to a
distant land to search for an apparently extinct creature. From
this pitch began a story that resonated for me on so many
levels—a gripping contemporary thriller with strong
environmental and human themes, embracing biotechnology,
corporate greed, love, loneliness and the resilience of the
human spirit.  The creature in question is the Tasmanian tiger,
an animal now firmly entrenched in contemporary