The Daughter: NZIFF Review

The Daughter: NZIFF Review

It’s appropriate the opening and one of the closing shots of The Daughter is that of the mist hanging around mountains, mingling among the tops of the peaks and sinking in low to the ground.

It’s hard not to dismiss the imagery as being some kind of augur of what lies ahead for this tangled family drama about small towns, secrets and family.

In fact, as Sam Neill’s rugged and ruffled character intones, “It’s not a new story”.

And to be honest, he’s not far off the mark.

But what marks out Simon Stone’s Aussie dramaThe Daughter is the journey, because the destination’s visible to anyone who has a smattering of ability to pick up the signs foreshadowed early on.

Loosely based on Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild Duck, it’s the story of Paul Schneider’s Christian (an irony of name given his less than charitable behaviour) who heads home to the wedding of his father (a sturdily dependable and haunted Geoffrey Rush) and his housekeeper Anna (Fringe’s Anna Torv).

Reconnecting with an old friend Oliver, Christian’s tendency toward self-destruction and desire for redemption is threatened by a secret from the past.

In the meantime, the community where Rush’s Henry has closed the sawmill is reeling, and hurting with an uncertain future ahead, leading to volatile times and fractures that may never heal…

With a great ensemble cast, including our very own Sam Neill, The Daughter is a lyrical drama that treads familiar paths but does so with tremendous ease and vision.

Visually, The Daughter’s strength lies in its imagery, which is haunting with long lingering shots building the atmosphere and heightening the sense of mood and evocation (all thanks to the photography of Andrew Commis).

Initially, the film’s more about what’s hinted at and what’s unsaid, but the audience doesn’t have long to wait to pull the pieces together, which is perhaps one of the film’s failings, albeit acknowledged within by Neill’s meta-line. Though admittedly in the final third, the emotional pull is never quite as strong as it could be, perhaps given the predictability of the story.

Thankfully though, it’s in the performances.

Notably that of Odessa Young’s vulnerable teen Hedvig.

Without going into spoilers, Young’s need to channel some of the deeper emotions needed is evident and easily met (even if the story opts for convenient narrative contrivances in its final act).

All in all, The Daughter may put the familial into familiar, but it’s a relatively classily executed affair that benefits slightly more from its visuals than the emotional edges the story purports to aim for.

Toni Erdmann: NZIFF Review

Toni Erdmann: NZIFF Review

So it appears the answer to what makes a German comedy that wows the crowds at Cannes 2016 is that it skirts around the issues of breakdowns and borderline depression.

Clocking in at nearly 2 3/4 hours Toni Erdmann is a study of father / daughter bond that's as strained as any cliched story would have.

But this is no hoary rote film - it's a film that, while offering a lot of laughs, hints at an innate sadness lurking beneath the surface and eschews the need for convenient redemption.

It's essentially in parts, a study of two kinds of depressions; one is within the daughter who's desperate to climb the corporate ladder but whose CEO she's consulting for sees her only as a local shopper to satiate his wife.

The other is with the father whose practical jokes and desire to dress up constantly donning false teeth merits eye rolls from those around him but who views it as his way to recapture his past bonds and stave off the twilight of his years after his sole companion dog dies on him.

There's no denying Toni Erdmann garners big laughs, but it could do with trimming some of the fat off in its ever so slightly long run time. It manages excruciating quite well as it excoriates the bond between family (one scene waiting for a lift after an awkward goodbye underscores the veracity of many familial relationships) and offers up some truths that are more universal than first thought.

As the eternal prankster, Peter Simonischek brings real depth to the dad Winifried Conradi (who becomes the titular Toni Erdmann with a wig and false teeth), but there’s an inherent touch of sadness running throughout and a loneliness that he captures perfectly. One scene involving his dog speaks volumes despite complete silence, and almost suggests some kind of psychotic break, given where his behaviour goes.

Equally, Sandra Huller as the estranged daughter puts a lot in the role of Ines. Her corporate aspirations are totally understandable and her desire to get her father to relate to the scale of the job she’s been asked to do give a tantalising sight into her scarred psyche that’s been ravaged by sexism in the workplace. Ultimately though, her own birthday party is one part breakdown, one part empowerment as things get as ludicrous as they possibly can while staving off the tears of repressed sadness.

Toni Erdmann is an intriguing film, one that works well as a genteel comedy, but also works better with a deep dysfunctional dive into what’s actually being said, long after the lights have gone up.

NZIFF Q&A - Luit Bieringa The HeART of the Matter

NZIFF Q&A - Luit Bieringa The HeART of the Matter 

My film is .the heART of the matter and it's a an educational journey focussing on the impact of creative teaching through the arts

The reason I made this film is: because we ( Director and producer ) have been working for years to put this unique piece of educational history before the public 

What's the one moment that stands out in your film and why?
Geez….  the utter dedication and commitment of the many “players” to the needs and brilliance of our children

What was the hardest thing about completing your film?
Leaving so many excellent anecdotes and stories on the cutting floor!

What's the most satisfying thing about your film? 

To, at last, airing some critical viewpoints before an informed audience unencumbered by the shallowness of our other visual media.

What's been the one piece of feedback from either peers or audiences that has struck you the most and why? 

People flocking to book seats ( at this point of time) and their overbidding interest in issues to do with children’s education. 

What's next on the cards for you? 

Filing away safely all the stuff that wasn’t used. Newly discovered and sound and moving image footage.

Get details of The HeART of the Matter film at the NZIFF

NZIFF Q&A - The 5th Eye co-directors Abi King-Jones and Errol Wright.

NZIFF Q&A - The 5th Eye co-directors Abi King-Jones and Errol Wright

The 5^th Eye

Errol Wright and Abi King-Jones – Director / Producer and Director / Editor

Our film is The 5^th Eye and it's about the Waihopai Three, the War on Terror and the GCSB - New Zealand’s role as the ‘little finger in the fist’ of the Five Eyes global spy network.

The reason we made this film is:

After witnessing the courage, conviction and sacrifice of those who seek justice – of whistleblowers and other rule-breakers – we knew it would be a hard slog, and didn’t know what we’d find when we got there, but knew we had to take the journey to see (much like the Waihopai Three!).

What's the one moment that stands out in your film and why?

The verdict being announced in the Waihopai Three trial for its singular, spine-tingling momentousness.

What was the hardest thing about completing your film?

The massive amount of material we had to navigate through and the complexity of the edit. Also, making a film over several years with limited resources and the stress that comes with that.

What's the most satisfying thing about your film?

Seeing untruths laid bare and truths brought to light, whilst being taken along for the ride by the Waihopai Three as they recount their daring and hilarious misadventure / mission to the spy base.

What's been the one piece of feedback from either peers or audiences that has struck you the most and why?

Adrian Leason (upon seeing the film for the first time and quoting Darryl Kerrigan): “This one’s going straight to the pool room…” If the star of the film is happy, we can rest easy.

What's next on the cards for you?

Sleep and reintegrating with humanity after two years spent in front of the edit machine - we’ve only just finished the film and delivered it! (Insert crying-happy-face here). Enjoying the NZIFF and bringing The 5^th Eye to the people.

Get the details of The 5th Eye at the NZIFF here.

Love Song: NZIFF Review

Love Song: NZIFF Review

The Girlfriend Experience star Riley Keough and Jena Malone take centre stage in this moving and quieter piece about female friendship.

Former college friends Sarah and Mindy have not seen each other for years. Keough's Sarah is estranged from her partner and struggling to cope with their child growing up. When Malone's Mindy comes to stay, an emotional whirlwind that is actually needed in Sarah's life.

With her carefree attitude and desire to shake Sarah out of the funk, the pair freewheel (with a kid in tow) and have fun. But as quickly as she came, Mindy is gone, leaving Sarah aflutter and something stirred up deep within after neglect from her husband and years of friendship.

Until 3 years later, when Sarah's invited to Mindy's wedding...

Director So Yong Kim's created a subtle film that may have a sedentary start that revels in its intimacies, but it's all the better for it as it builds time to pull the lyrical nature of this friendship together.

Keough has a presence that's magnetic and a style that says so much with so little; in terms of her facials, her less is more approach pays off immensely as this restrained tale plays out. But equally, Malone's joie de vivre and signal sending vitality adds much to the proceedings as well, which border on the ambiguous throughout and work all the better for it.

Dividing the film into two distinct parts helps immeasurably to continue proceedings and the addition of extra people to the cast give it a propulsion which is needed. But it does rob proceedings of the nature of the relationship of the pair that we've become so invested in. And the stakes feel a little more contrived and difficult to invest in in the second part of the film.

Perhaps it's So Yong Kim's comment on how life divides us and how complications ensue and abound while we're not looking.

While the observational almost detached tone can take a little getting used to, the honesty of the bond and the veracity of what's being explored on screen is as deep as you'd expect.

A final sequence leaves wondering whether tears shed are of regret or of joy and that's one of Love Song's true successes; thanks to its innate authenticity and its smartly observed intimate moments, this quiet film speaks at volume for the pair. Its minimalism pays off but only if you're willing to let the more lyrical edges wash over you and concentrate on the quite stunning turns delivered by Riley Keough and Jena Malone.

Like Crazy: NZIFF Review

Like Crazy: NZIFF Review

Blending the Tuscan sun with two unpredictable women who break out of psychiatric care should be a formula for both comedy and life-affirming.

But what Italian Paolo Virzi's managed with Like Crazy is a film that suffers a case of tonal dysfunction as much as its leads do.

Leading the pack and re-teaming with her director from Human Capital, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi is the brash Beatrice, a woman who's at the Villa Biondi recovery centre but who lords it up over others and believes she's entitled to more and entitled not to be there. When punkish newcomer Donatella Morelli (Micaela Ramazotti, the film's centre and more fragile of the two) checks into the Villa, Beatrice love-bombs her into a friendship.

But more out of interest in a new thing, rather than interest of a fellow human being, Beatrice betrays the trust of the Villa to break out, dragging along the damaged Donatella with her. But Donatella has her own tragic agenda to follow...

La Pazza Gioia aka Like Crazy is Girls, Interrupted.

While the wackier edges and throwaway comments about madness seem more attempts at gallows humour, the tonal meshing of comedy with poignancy don't quite gel as they should. Tedeschi's larger than life delusions may add a sense of boorishness to proceedings, and she's never really anything more than a caricature later on in proceedings.

And certainly her breakthrough feels forced rather than natural, a tacit admission perhaps from the script writer that redemption needs to come - but registers as feeling unearned. With her Ab Fab Patsy like edges, she certainly gives the story the OTT life it needs, but never feels fully formed. (Interestingly fellow residents at Biondi are former inmates of such institutions, giving scenes a veracity and a sadness that lingers).

Fortunately, Ramazotti's character is more easy to grasp on to. Served up with pathos and tragedy, the broken Donatella is a more realistic being. It's understandable to see why she's swept along by Beatrice's folly despite her early reticence, and Ramazotti underplays every scene she's in, even if the coincidences are piled a little too high in the narrative stakes.

Ultimately, Like Crazy is a road trip that even visually mocks Thelma and Louise in its latter stages, but attempts at poignancy at the end feel contrived and so lose some of their effect. It's understandable what this road trip was trying to do - but its final destination doesn't quite merit the journey.

I, Daniel Blake: NZIFF Review

I, Daniel Blake: NZIFF Review

That I Daniel Blake is book-ended with the voice of its titular hero is no shock.

But that its ending and beginning convey such a dichotomy of feelings is equally no surprise.

The Palme D'Or winner from Brit socialist director Ken Loach is riddled with his usual concerns and stylistic touches. This time tackling the failings of society from two singular viewpoints, Loach has once again exacerbated the increasing common human condition in a world where the state is failing those around them, and they in turn are losing their grip on humanity.

Dave Johns is the ordinary everyman widower and Newcastle resident Daniel Blake stuck in a swirling vortex of increasing lunatic bureaucracy, swimming against a tide of pencil pushers and call centre bound helpers who seem determined to break his spirit.

Set against a backdrop of a council estate where grey is the default colour setting, and recovering from a heart attack and facing the prospect of his benefit being stopped, Daniel finds he is out of touch with the world after spending umpteen years working as a carpenter.

Now faced with online forms, the incessant tide of red tape and a lack of human compassion, Blake's trip to a job centre sees him help a just-moved-to Tyneside Londoner Katie ( Hayley Squires) whose facing similar issues with benefits agencies.

A burgeoning friendship grows between the pair, but the forces of the world are conspiring against them - and despite rallying cries to each for support, this is a battle that only the state can appear to win.

Blessed with a quiet determination and a rallying fanfare for the common man and decency all round, I, Daniel Blake is a study of society teetering, albeit one that's peppered with Loach's masterful eye for humour in the absurdity of life.

Much like 2014 NZIFF entry Still Life with the wonderful Eddie Marsan, I, Daniel Blake presents a salutary look to the solitary man, doing the decent thing when the world around him conspires against him.

You'd have to be a complete Loach virgin to not know where the story is going, but its strength lies in its central performance; Johns is very much the man we all aspire to be. A good neighbour, a friend when in need and a thoroughly decent bloke, the gradual beating down of the man is the film's rallying cry and it's all the more tragic for it.

It would be easy to milk I Daniel Blake for easy wins, and Loach never takes that approach; the impending pathos of the situations as they unfold proffer unsettling parallels in the world we all currently find ourselves in. Granted, there's the protestor toward the end who unleashes a mouthful at the incumbent Tory UK government, but Loach's strength at this point is how incredibly restrained this tirade is - and how the audience would be baying for more as it plays out.

But the ultimate victory of I Daniel Blake is the central performances of the duo. Theirs is a relationship that basks in earnestness, that tries to weather the incoming storm and that provides a quiet poignancy as the denouement rumbles around.

Make no mistake though, this is a polemic of the common man through a prism of Loach - a warning and tribute of what a little dignity can achieve and a harkening back to a time when neighbours were to be treated with open arms, not viewed with suspicion and mistrust.