SOMETIMES a film comes along that stays with you long after the credits roll.

Tracks is one of those films.

Based on Robyn Davidson’s autobiographical book of the same name, it stars Mia Wasikowska as Davidson who in 1977 set off on an ambitious trek across the deserts of Southern Australia with her dog and four camels. Her 1700-mile journey from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean was documented by photographer Rick Smolan (Adam Driver) as part of a sponsorship deal with National Geographic magazine.

The film begins as Wasikowska arrives in Alice Springs and narrates her decision to do the trek. In her words, “When people ask me why I am doing it my usual answer is why not.” But it is more than that. She longs for solitude and there is a sense she is trying to reconnect with her long-dead parents, including her adventurer father. Smolan meets up with her on several occasions over the nine-month trek and they form an unlikely bond.

Davidson’s journey is told without melodrama and through sporadic flashbacks to pivotal moments in her childhood.

If there is criticism to be had, it’s that the film doesn’t get fully under the skin of Davidson’s motivation. Once the trek begins the narration ends and, with little dialogue, the story solely relies on Wasikowska’s quiet and understated performance.

Director John Curran (The Painted Veil) has crafted one of the most beautiful films of 2014. Stunning visuals by cinematographer Mandy Walker combine with Garth Stevenson’s immersing score to almost hypnotic effect – one which washes over you in huge golden waves.