Zone 39 (1996)

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This thoughtful Australian sci-fi film was shot on location on a spectacular dry salt lake at Woomera, where the Australian military used to test its rockets. The story is set in an environmentally ravaged, desolate future. For the first time in 40 years the warring New Territories and the Federal… More This thoughtful Australian sci-fi film was shot on location on a spectacular dry salt lake at Woomera, where the Australian military used to test its rockets. The story is set in an environmentally ravaged, desolate future. For the first time in 40 years the warring New Territories and the Federal Republics have reached a tentative peace thanks to the secret machinations of the Central Union, a powerful group comprised of industrialists from both sides. As part of the deal, Central Union is allowed to monopolize all communications. Anne, the pregnant wife of New Territories army training officer Leo Megaw, works for CU as one of their leading security coders. To prove her prowess, she one day decides to prove to her skeptical boss that she can crack his supposedly uncrackable security code. In so doing she learns that an outer security zone has suffered a terrible accident resulting deadly contamination. Not long after her discovery, Anne "accidentally" dies under suspicious circumstances. Leo is devastated and nearly succeeds in killing himself. Eventually, he masters his grief enough to allow his pal Seton, a CU worker, to send him to isolated Zone 39 to man a lonely outpost to guard the border. He is ordered to shoot anyone moving into the zone and to carefully monitor the activities of the Federal Republics guard Pagett. It is an unpleasant duty and Leo's predecessor killed himself. People do wander into the zone, and all of them are "classified," and contaminated by something. When not on duty, Leo takes small comfort in a drug that allows him to converse with his wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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