The Man On The Island: Movie Review

Director: Simon Mark-Brown

Director Simon Mark-Brown's documentary concerns itself with its subject - but it's sometimes to the detriment of what should be a wider lens.

Taking in the island of Rakino, in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf, with its population of 20 people, Brown decides the focus of his piece should be the pontifications of Colin Maclaren, a 77-year old former mainlander who moved to the island some 30 years ago.

Dismissive of Auckland's hum and drum of life, yet shackled to the need to use the shops there, Maclaren is less an enigma to be frank, and more a man taking every opportunity to grandstand on subjects without any challenging from its director.

That's not to say that Maclaren is not a man without merit, more that the focus of this documentary appears to be less interested in pursuing a fully-rounded picture of its subject, and more in the thrall of one man and his opinions.

Not once does Brown refer - or defer - to others to explain why Maclaren requires such time in the spotlight; his story is of interest, but it's up to others to provide colour into the quirk and the man who's become the island's recluse.

Impressive drone shots and cinematography capture the beauty of Rakino and entice viewers into understanding why an island paradise would leave so many so enamoured. It's here Brown's eye for simplicity shines.

But in Maclaren, he's found a subject whose philosophies aren't out of place with a Covid-infected world, but whose raison d'etre is nothing more than self-imposed. Many moments find insights into Maclaren wanting - from no clue over where he gains money from for trips to Auckland to an apparent fight with Auckland council over weeds going unexplored.

There's much to be made of The Man On The Island - but this documentary, while stunning to view, is shallow in its examinations and frustrating as a viewing experience.

The Man on the Island will have its world premiere as part of Sunday’s Doc Edge at the Civic event in Auckland before embarking on a limited run nationwide from November 26.