Whanau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival 2023 preview

With just days to go before the start of Auckland's leg of the Whanau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival 2023, there's never been a better time to consider jumping into the dark of the cinema and the embrace of some of the best of Aotearoa's film-making and the world's directors.

But with over 130 films at the festival this year, it can be a bit tricky to decide where to start.

From Ant Timpson's 30th year of curating the Incredibly Strange side of the festival through to Tom Sainsbury's Loop Track being the first confirmed film of the festival, there's more than enough on offer and to celebrate as well.

In EO, Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski's story is one of simplicity, of innocence snatched and of the horrors inflicted on others. Some will see religious allegories in this story, some will find beauty in the moments that show a donkey seemingly remembering the love it felt from its first owner, but everyone will feel that Eo is perhaps the most intrinsically film-festival experience on offer.

As a grey-furred donkey escapes its shackles of being a circus creature, its melancholy eyes will haunt you as it traverses the world around it in an introspective piece that says more about the human condition than anything viewed thus far in the festival. 

It may be polarising and it may prove to be a conversation piece afterwards, but this Oscar-nominated fare is something special and not to be missed.

A little more conventional is yet another riff on the inspiring teacher story made so commercially popular by the likes of Dead Poets Society and Dangerous Minds.

Radical, with the backdrop of Eugenio Derbez's off-the-wall teacher as he tries to teach the kids in Matamoros, one of Mexico's bleakest schools and towns, feels about as familiar as it can be. Yet, despite moments of predictability and a narrative whose conclusion you can see coming a mile off, it finds a way to deploy its familial charms to maximum effect.

Anchored by a crowd-winning mix of saint-faced kids, a curmudgeonly headmaster and a lively teacher, this is unashamedly audience-baiting fare that works against all odds as all involved impress throughout - never once do they overplay their hand, giving all of their characters the grim reality they find themselves in, but refusing to milk it for mawkishness.

A little closer to home, but still undoubtedly out there, New Zealand director Michael Duignan's lo-fi thriller buddy comedy The Paragon may be infused with a touch of sci-fi trappings throughout, but it never loses sight of the fact at its heart it's a road movie.

Benedict Wall plays Dutch, a recently deceased victim of a hit and run who comes back to life, only to find it's all falling apart for him. Things get weirder - and worse - when he seeks the help of mysterious hooded psychic Lyra (Florence Noble) to teach him how to use telepathy to find the person who hit him. But Lyra discovers Dutch has special powers and could be the key to helping her find the mysterious Paragon crystal.

Made for a $25K budget may be the headline of many people's comments on The Paragon - and in truth, it does show at times - but that's to dismiss a lot of the deadpan wit and offkilter moments that come from this Kiwi flick that's destined for cult love.

Perhaps a clarion call aimed at both documentary makers and also voracious audiences that seem to devour the genre thanks to the likes of Netflix, Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla Hall's Subject examines the increasingly frail relationship between filmmaker and subject.

But rather than following a direct "What happened next" approach, the film looks at how some are failing their charges and responsibilities in perhaps the same way as reality television makers seem to let go any responsibility once the shows are over.

Latching on to the fact that "documentaries are having a moment," before sharing copious clips from the Netflix catalogue and recent releases, Tiexiera and Hall's film chooses to zero in on the subjects of documentaries whose lives after release haven't gone to plan or have been tainted by the experience.

A thoughtful and introspective piece that poses more questions than perhaps the industry is willing to immediately address, Subject's timely look at those involved and the failure of a duty of care feels particularly pertinent at a time where Hollywood's writers and actors are out on the streets striking.

Propulsive, urgent and tense, How to Blow Up a Pipeline's clever mix of a seemingly disparate group coming together to fight back against climate change and human drama works together to create a compellingly enjoyable edge of your seat drama that's well worth the time.

Reminiscent of Kelly Reichardt's Night Moves in terms of narrative, How to Blow Up a Pipeline principally works by building a picture of what's going on and deploying into a wider story - even if occasionally the use of flashbacks at particularly tense moments can frustrate and begin to feel like a lazy storytelling device.

Depressingly book-ended by Donald Trump's hatred and bigotry, doco Merkel is a fascinating and human approach to a character many will have seen on the world stage but in truth, know little about.

Director Eva Weber pulls together a portrait of the woman who rose from behind the communist wall of East Germany to triumph as she led a reunited Germany to success. Using footage from her past, as well as interviews from the likes of Tony Blair, Hillary Clinton and Condoleeza Rice, what emerges from Merkel is a formulaic but friendly look at her failings and her success.

Occasionally a commentary on women in politics that could be widened to powerful women in a modern world, Weber's film only ever lightly raises issues rather than intensely tackling them. But as Merkel's humour comes to the fore, and Weber's tight hand on proceedings keeps it all in check, this 90 minute outing into the enigma feels like it's a solid outing into one of the world politics' old guard.

Blue Jean, an 80s set drama about a teacher struggling to come to term with her sexuality in Thatcher's burgeoning Section 28 world may not be the most original idea for a drama, but writer-director Georgia Oakley largely strays away from the kitchen sink drama that could have sunk this tale.

Coupled with a stunning performance from Rosy McEwan as PE teacher Jean who just simply wants to try and get on with life, Blue Jean's slow-burning tale reaches a crescendo when inevitabilities clash.

It's to the bleak countryside and the macabre outings of a pair of brothers forced into the darker side of the business we go for Haydn Butler's Home Kills, a film that feels Fargo-esque in some of its execution and features the most surprising appearance of a Neighbours actor you're likely to see at the film festival.

It takes the small town mentality of New Zealand to an extreme and pushes it through the prism of some of Hollywood's criminal prowess. 

Yet, with a large serving of black humour and lashings of melancholy through the desperation, the film becomes a depressingly familiar tale of trying to do the right thing and escape your circumstances, well-enacted by all those within and graced by a strong lead from Cameron who becomes further weighted down as every minute passes.

There's plenty more to discover at this year's Whanau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival - check out the festival's offerings at www.nziff.co.nz