Our writers share their thoughts on this year’s Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival selections.
This year’s festival features plenty of gems – check out what we’re watching, and keep checking this page for the latest mini-reviews, updated throughout the festival.
All 2023 mini-reviews:
Latest reviews | A – E | F – L | M – R | S – Z
Saint Omer
Seeing Saint Omer the day after another serious French legal drama (Anatomy of a Fall) was a bad move on my part, no doubt aiding my struggles to fully engage with this film’s dry-as-Weet-Bix approach to court proceedings. It’s still affecting stuff and the monotony makes perfect sense—you won’t hear me saying the subjects of generational trauma and infanticide could use more excitement—but it did leave me wanting more from the all-to-slight subplot of an attending novelist caught off-guard. LIAM MAGUREN
Sanctuary
Centered on a soon-to-be CEO locked in a power struggle with his long-time dominatrix as he attempts to end their relationship for the sake of his high-stakes new role, I went into Sanctuary expecting something much darker and more fraught than the fun, sexy screwball comedy it turned out to be. The kind of single location, two person set-piece that could easily befit a stage play, it is thanks to dynamic and deeply entertaining performances from Margeret Qualley and Christopher Abbott that Sanctuary shines as a piece of sharp, saucy and surprisingly charming cinema. KATIE PARKER
Zachary Wigon’s claustrophobic study of a wealthy client and their dominatrix puts the ‘complex’ in ‘rom-com’. Standout performances from Christopher Abbott and Margaret Qualley lift this from a static, one-room, theatrical tête-à-tête. A finely crafted, surprisingly funny, deliciously twisted take on the ever-shifting power dynamics inherent in (very NSFW) adult relationships. ADAM FRESCO
The Settlers
Felipe Gálvez’s first feature is a slow-build western set in Chile in the early 1900s. Shot in the academy format, Chile’s landscapes are bleak and unforgiving. Beautiful in its wild nature, terrifying for those who must survive against all the odds, elements, and settlers often devoid of morality and humanity. Those seeking a Chilean version of a Spaghetti Western will be disappointed, because this is a glacially-paced tale that takes its sweet time setting up a reckoning for Chile’s colonial past. Mesmerising and plodding by turns. Bold yet boring. But the experience and mood stayed with me long after the end credits rolled. ADAM FRESCO
A spiritually sickening but cinematically classy Western, sumptuously capturing the 1901 Chile-Argentina landscape while unapologetically outlining the inhumane horrors dispensed by the so-called “settlers” chasing land, pride, and power. Cleanly slices through the damaging divide between those who witness history and those who record it. Think Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale by way of Slow West with its confronting subject matter, odd dollops of quirks, and one unforgettable I-did-not-see-that-coming moment.
LIAM MAGUREN
Showing Up
Slow, slight and soothingly low key, Kelly Reichardt’s film about a frazzled Portland artist caring for an injured pigeon while preparing work for an upcoming show is the kind of slice-of-life drama-free drama that its linen smock-wearing characters would likely watch themselves. Pleasant if slightly impenetrable and a little too neat around the edges, it works perhaps most effectively for me as a strangely seductive advert for the white crocs Michelle William’s character schleps around in throughout. KATIE PARKER
Sisu
Hmm, haven’t we seen this all before? One buff old bearded dude against the Nazis, taking them out one by one in increasingly unlikely and outrageous ways, surviving the most ridiculous odds and beat-downs because he’s the tuffest guy in the world… Do we really need another one of these films? OF COURSE WE DO, and Sisu is one of the freshest and funnest of the genre I’ve seen. If you only go and see “one old buff beardy dude vs the Nazis” flick this Festival, make it Sisu! MATTHEW CRAWLEY
“Finland’s Tarantino”, Jalmari Helander, follows up his fun, gory, but forgettable films Rare Exports and Big Game with a tale of a grizzled gold-prospector protecting his newfound treasure, and lovable dog, from a squadron of ruthless Nazis in the dying days of World War II. Cue slow-mo spinning axes, guns, grenades, explosions, and geysers of blood as nasty Nazis are dispatched with brutal glee. Empty, but enormously energetic. Instantly forgettable, but undeniably fun. ADAM FRESCO
Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)
Anton Corbijn’s documentary is a heartfelt and often hilarious tribute to Hipgnosis, the British creatives behind some of the 1970s most iconic record covers. From Pink Floyd to Peter Gabriel, Led Zeppelin to Paul McCartney’s Wings, this rock-star-studded trip is perfect for fans, and anyone fascinated by the collision of art and commerce that occurs when a round record is popped into a square sleeve. The tales behind Pink Floyd’s cow and flying pig cover art had the audience in stitches at the Auckland screening. Featuring candid interviews, shot in stunning monochrome, and colourful archive footage, this is highly recommended viewing for nostalgic music lovers and newbies alike. ADAM FRESCO
A Storm Foretold
Not many people who were at the Capitol on Jan 6th can say they were at the right place at the right time, but that’s an accurate description of Danish documentarian Christoffer Guldbrandsen—both on the day and in general with this years-long portrait of dodgy Republican fixer Roger Stone. Grimly fascinating in big and small moments, taking on increasing gravity in the present day as indictments against the coup-plotting former Prez and his cronies mount (this footage actually included in the Jan 6th Committee proceedings). Very strong recommend. STEVE NEWALL
Sweet As
Though the teenage dialogue feels too unconvincing to send Sweet As to coming-of-age nirvana, Jub Clerc’s feature debut works well as a road movie with its gorgeous framing of the Australian wilderness and stonkingly good soundtrack powered by Aboriginal artists. It lives up to its name while also achieving something rarely seen—an earnest, heartfelt movie about photography. LIAM MAGUREN
The Tuba Thieves
This is adventurous, rebellious, exciting filmmaking. There’s a clear intent to disrupt the expected narrative framework—a motive driven by filmmaker Alison O’Daniel’s focus on LA’s deaf culture—with eccentric editing, knee-jerk flashbacks, and many thematic threads weaving together at an unhurried pace. I still don’t know why these thieves stole all these tubas, but despite my inability to “get” all of it, this is the kind of audacious experience I won’t soon forget. LIAM MAGUREN
War Pony
Easily the biggest (pleasant) surprise of the festival so far, this shaggy dog story of two young people navigating the hustle of life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota avoids dealing the pity card, even when the goings get impossibly tough. I nearly skipped this one, so thankful I didn’t—these local “non-actors” will have you wide eyed from the moment you meet them. MATTHEW CRAWLEY
All 2023 mini-reviews:
Latest reviews | A – E | F – L | M – R | S – Z
