What is it with television’s recent obsession with children in jeopardy? No wonder parents are afraid to let their kids leave the house unaccompanied, what with shows like “Broadchurch” and “The Killing,” among others.

The latest parental nightmare to hit screens is the movie "Strangerland," which follows a couple whose son and daughter have vanished. But rather than focus on the procedural aspect of this possible crime, the movie zeroes in on the mental unraveling of the parents. Stories don't get much gloomier than this, and the film's setting in a tiny town in Australia's scorched desert only adds to the mood of desolation. The good news? There are some tremendous performances here — plus a bit of intrigue — to ferry us through the misery.

In a long overdue reminder of why she won an Academy Award, an unglamorously brown-haired Nicole Kidman is superb as Catherine Parker, the unfulfilled wife of a pharmacist (Joseph Fiennes) who has just uprooted their family from the city to this parched hamlet, for mysterious reasons. One thing is clear: No one is happy about the move, especially not the couple’s two teenagers, Lily (Maddison Brown) and Tommy (Nicholas Hamilton).

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In apparent protest, the 15-year-old Lily acts out, dressing in scanty clothing and flirting with any guy who looks her way. Soon, however, it becomes clear that her wild-child behavior might not be teenage rebellion so much as an inherited trait. Catherine also equates sexual attention with self-worth. The fact that her husband, Matthew, insists on sleeping in another bedroom doesn’t just take a toll on their marriage; it affects her mental state, too.

And then one night — just before a blinding dust storm — Tommy and Lily wander off and don’t come back. That brings the couple to the attention of the local detective, David Rae (Hugo Weaving), who, in the course of his investigation, begins digging up information about the family that the family would rather keep hidden.

The story bears more than passing resemblance to Peter Weir's drama "Picnic at Hanging Rock," a 1975 Australian drama with which "Strangerland" shares a dreamlike quality. In both, the outback isn't just stunning in its barrenness, it's also mystical. An aboriginal neighbor even suggests to Catherine that the land itself may be responsible for the children's disappearance.

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Catherine, meanwhile, begins having blurry visions of her daughter wandering along a sun-baked horizon. And Lily, in voice-over, occasionally breaks through the creepy, minimalist score by (Keefus Ciancia, who worked on “True Detective”), reading lyrical passages from her R-rated diary. The surrealism of the tale is compounded by the slow unfolding of two mysteries: the children’s disappearance and the family’s secrets. Together, these elements keep the movie from getting too bogged down in dreariness.

“Strangerland” is a strong feature directorial debut by Kim Farrant, even if there are holes in the screenplay (by Michael Kinirons and Fiona Seres). If you think too hard about the movie — which, to its credit, you’ll probably find yourself doing — you may come to the realization that some of the plot points don’t add up.

Even so, it’s hard to get over the movie’s haunting atmosphere. It may be just another story of kids in peril, but this one’s particularly hard to shake.

R.At the Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market. Contains strong language, nudity and sex. 112 minutes.

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