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Narrative & Mystery Road

Ivan Sen’s Mystery Road follows the path of Indigenous detective Jay Swan, as he investigates the murder of a teenage girl in the Australian outback. This constitutes the main plot of the film, one that’s narrative is constructed and enhanced through the use of a variety of filmic techniques. Although Mystery Road’s plot occurs over a series of weeks, framed within a broader story of many years, Sen uses a manipulation in temporal reality to allow the film to play out within the space of just over two hours; an example of the way in which screen duration may function independently of story or plot duration, as the viewer is accustomed to jumps between time and space in the film world, accepting it as natural and normal. It is through this customary suspension of belief that viewers are able to comfortably watch the film, as they automatically create closure between shots, and between scenes, in order to construct the singular unified reality of Mystery Road.

The specific uses of cinematography, setting and genre are employed to form and further the narrative of the film, giving added depth to the plot of Mystery Road, by reflecting the position of the film’s protagonist. The use of wide shots of the arid Australian outback, as well as aerial shots of cars driving down barren highways through the desert are prolific throughout Mystery Road. These work to reflect the isolation felt by Jay as he socially separated from both the predominantly white police force, as well as his own community. The use of such shots furthermore evidence Jay’s lone, steadfast conviction to the case, as this is an integral force within Mystery Road, creating a series of cause and effect that ultimately drive the film.