Zone 39

(1996)

Zone 39 is a sci-fi thriller set in the near future about Leo Magaw (Peter Phelps), who is a lieutenant in the Federated Republics army, who are still fighting a war with the New Territories Union. When his pregnant wife (Carolyn Bock) is assassinated after she accesses classified information about the goings on in the disputed Zone 39. Racked with grief, Magaw is forced into doing border patrol work in Zone 39, a job that is notorious for sending previous patrolmen crazy. And slowly Magaw becomes crazy, because of the poisoned water source which he discovers thanks to the apparition of his wife. It seems that some high-up members of the Federated Republics have poisoned the water and are covering it up. Dying from being exposed to the water, Magaw must work with the enemy to get the message out to the locals that they are in danger of being poisoned to death by the callous leaders.

Strange little sci-fi film that has pretty much disappeared off the face of the Earth, but is surprisingly efficient considering its obvious budget restraints. Filmed in both Melbourne (Flagstaff Station looks decidedly appalling, I wonder how they did that as it's never looked that putrid) and in Woomera for the Zone 39 scenes (close to where Pitch Black was later filmed), the film is basically a single hander with Peter Phelps on screen for at least 90% of the film and he does pretty well. Sci-fi isn't a genre done much in Australia or well for the that matter, but this film has a pretty decent stab at it and has some success.

Carolyn Bock film clips (The collages are below)