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 2024 mini-reviews:
Latest reviews | A-G | H-O | P-Z
Alien Weaponry: Kua Tupu Te Ara
Alien Weaponry: Kua Tupu Te Ara
Count on New Zealand to make the world’s most chilled-out documentary on a heavy metal band. There’s a palpable no-big-deal-ness to the young Māori musicians’ story of bringing te reo to a global audience, perhaps due to Kent Belcher’s straight-down-the-line direction, the accepting nature of the modern metal community, the grounded-yet-goofy nature of the de Jong brothers, or the fact that the biggest moment of conflict comes down to a Lime scooter. It is a big deal though, seeing te reo flourish in a unique space and embraced internationally, and it certainly made me wonder why certain parts of our own country can’t just chill the fuck out and support the revitalisation of our indigenous language. LIAM MAGUREN
All We Imagine As Light
All We Imagine As Light
The NZIFF is wonderful for transporting us to magical, far-flung locations in the middle of the dreary New Zealand winter, from the floral fields of Bhutan to the stunning Orkney Islands of Scotland, for example. The other way to travel courtesy of the NZIFF is to spend your time instead experiencing the magic of the mundane in worlds-away places like Mumbai, where in All We Imagine As Light we spend most this very memorable couple of hours in a cramped apartment and busy hospital where our nurse protagonists live and work together. To explore too deeply what makes this remarkable film so special might take up more space than we’ve got here, but suffice to say there’s a reason Indian director Payal Kapadia is winning unanimous and feverish praise for it, without honourable mention to the effective use of the late Ethiopian nun and pianist Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou’s music for her soundtrack. MATTHEW CRAWLEY
Anguish
This ruled to see in a cinema, Hollywood Avondale the perfect place for a 35mm screening of Bigas Luna’s 1987 horror. As the film unfolds and its structure becomes apparent, we were on the edge of our seats (when moviegoers weren’t contributing to the tension with every creaking footstep to replenish refreshments or hit the bathroom—hey, it was an 11pm screening, and when did anything bad ever happen to someone popping out during a movie?). Anguish‘s swerves and reveals worked a treat up there on the big screen, you’d be missing a trick to watch at home, sadly. STEVE NEWALL
The Beast
The Beast (2024)
A maddeningly slow burn conceptual thriller. Wore the clothes of an engrossing genre film but had no interest at all in delivering on anything, not even the credits. If everything is a subversion what are we left with? Felt almost disrespectful to its audience, like being locked outside a fancy impenetrable house of subtext and allusion. If you’re already sold on this film, this could be one to google beforehand so at the very least you can follow along. CALLUM DEVLIN
Birdeater
A love letter to the dark and dusty Australian thriller canon, Birdeater is a charismatic take on the one-wild-night film. For a movie that looks and sounds this good, the performances are the true weapon on display here, a showcase of vivid characters in what could have been a cluttered ensemble plot. Not as dark a watch as I was expecting, but still speaks to the toxic side of lads culture in which these funny, motor-mouthed men have no clue how to actually talk to one another. CALLUM DEVLIN
Co-written and directed by Jack Clark and Jim Weir, this Australian indie scores big on its fever-dream visuals and willingness to tackle toxic-masculinity. A couple’s pre-wedding party goes wildly off-the-rails in a tsunami of drug-guzzling, booze-soaked machismo that’s both darkly comic and deeply disturbing. A surreal, trippy, psychological horror, Birdeater may not succeed entirely in its attempted genre-mash, but it at least dares to push boundaries, exposing the dark side of male identity with enough visual verve and frantic cinematic style to forgive its slow start and disconnected narrative arc. ADAM FRESCO
Black Dog
Guan Hu’s script is almost Coen-like in its construction—a series of setups involving an upcoming Olympics, an approaching eclipse, a lone wolf, an imprisoned tiger, an unachieved motorcycle jump and so on—with plenty of the brothers’ wry humour as well, and less socio-economic commentary than you may expect (although it’s implicitly there in the margins). Mostly though this is a story about a very good boy and his human friend, which includes several dozen how-the-fuck-did-they-do-that scenes involving animals. TONY STAMP
A compellingly compassionate dusty drama about a good man and a very good boy. Earns its ruminative pace thanks to Gao Weizhe’s savoury cinematography, the magnetic on-screen presence of Eddie Peng (and his Jack Russell-greyhound cross co-star), and the simple fact that I haven’t stopped thinking about the film’s chewable metaphors on those who are caged and/or abandoned. Felt my heart inflate with that final shot. LIAM MAGUREN
Cuckoo
You wanted a weird monster? Well, Cuckoo delivers. How about Hunter Schafer screaming, crying and covered in blood? Boy, howdy you’re in for a treat. A uniquely twisted take on the isolated hotel horror story, this is not a movie that will scar you for life (a good thing) but rather leave you deeply unsettled and possibly scared to bike home afterwards. CALLUM DEVLIN
Lots to enjoy here, particularly Dan Stevens’ gently unhinged performance, (and flute), intriguing character design, and loads of gauzy retro atmosphere from director Tilman Singer. The setup and eventual reveal are agreeably gonzo, so it’s a pity the film’s denouement lets the air out slightly, but this is still a very fun watch. TONY STAMP
In the elevated horror era, it is basically a requirement that scary movies these days begin with the protagonist in the midst of grief after a terrible loss (usually of a parent). Cuckoo is no exception, following teenager Gretchen who has reluctantly left America in the wake of her mother’s death to join her father’s second family in the German Alps. Thankfully, writer-director Tilman Singer neatly sidesteps many of the horror-grief cliches with which we are now all very familiar, and takes this weird little chiller to stranger—and much more fun—places. Bonus points for Hunter Schafer’s excellent lead performance and Dan Stevens’ pitch-perfect turn as a weird Euro guy. KATIE PARKER
Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer is great as an uneasy teen, stuck with her dad (but also stepmother and young half-sibling) at a resort in alpine Germany where… strange stuff is going on. Dan Stevens is having as much OTT fun as ever, playing resort director Herr König, while director Tilman Singer’s alpine setting is of the pleasantly Euro-retro variety, as is the Argento-adjacent plotting. Solid, but not a knockout, never quite mining its concept for max impact, but enjoyable enough along the way. One scene with a shadow pursuing a cyclist got me good! STEVE NEWALL
Days of Heaven
Days of Heaven
Experiencing this sumptuous remaster on that colossal Civic screen made for a great first-time watch for me, completely spellbound by the engulfing trance of Morrisone’s score and Almendros’ lens. Wasn’t as captivated by the muted characters or the diluted drama and the story isn’t exactly full of surprises but I was nonetheless mesmerised by Malick’s momentous memory of early 20th Century America. LIAM MAGUREN
Witnessing Terrence Malick’s classic at Auckland’s Civic, resplendent in 4K, reminds me why live movie-going is like going to church for cinephiles. Every frame’s a carefully composed, moving portrait of aching natural beauty and awesome ferocity. From Ennio Morricone’s sweeping score, to lushly photographed Texas wheatfields, Malick’s canvas aches with passion. Richard Gere and Brooke Adams’ lovers suffer through apocalyptic plagues of locusts, fire, and murder in an epic tale of humanity’s perilous environmental dance that demands to be seen on the big screen. ADAM FRESCO
A Different Man
A Different Man
Actor, Edward, has a craniofacial condition, so can’t get work in a Hollywood focused on traditional looks. Still, his neighbour, the writer Ingrid (Reinate Reinsve) is kind to him. But when surgery transforms Edward into Sebastian Stan, his inner ugliness is revealed. Enter the confident and upbeat Oswald, (Adam Pearson, the Under the Skin actor who really does have a craniofacial condition), threatening Edward’s new life. Aaron Schimberg’s darkly funny parable of the masks we all wear is substantially lifted by a performance from Pearson who enters stage left, and steals the show in a bravura performance with Best Supporting Actor written all over it. ADAM FRESCO
Eno
A movie that is never the same, always unique, in every screening becoming a brand-new film. Movie biopic as mosaic, this self-generating documentary draws from thousands of hours of interviews and clips to randomly produce a guaranteed one-off at every screening. Gary Hustwit’s film doesn’t just honour the creative genius of eclectic musician Brian Eno, it replicates his dazzling experimental array. Entertaining, witty, and always engaging, it’s a standout festival must-see. ADAM FRESCO
Evil Does Not Exist
Slow, quiet and deeply ruminative, Evil Does Not Exist turns a tale of an idyllic rural Japanese village under threat from corporate interests into a decidedly complex study of human nature. From the widower opposing the fast-tracked glamping development that threatens the town, to the hapless corporate stooges sent to charm the residents into compliance, director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi casts no one as a hero or a villain. Paired with a gorgeous soundtrack and stunning photography, this sense of generous empathy creates a gentle, hypnotic rhythm—one that is nevertheless always tinged with dread. With a crescendo made for mulling over, I felt slightly underwhelmed the ultimate emotional impact of Hamauchi’s conclusion—but adored the careful, contemplative path it took to get there. KATIE PARKER
A serene and sombre experience, delicately directed with a master’s touch. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi gently guides us through the ebbs and flows of a small mountain village, setting the rich background for the inevitable clash between the community and an ill-conceived glamping project proposal which threatens to upend the environment they rely upon. The David V Goliath drama recalls Ken Loach at his mightiest. Unfortunately, the ending threw me out of the experience somewhat—the film had my heart but forced me to analyse its final moments rather than feel them. LIAM MAGUREN
Explanation for Everything
Director Gábor Reisz’s tale centres on a high-school student in love with his best friend. It’s a love story through which themes of social discord, fractured family relationships, and present-day Hungarian politics are explored. As a tiny incident blows up out of all proportion, the hypocrisy of both the left and right are exposed as part of a circle wherein the extremes inevitably meet. The acting, especially from the leads, is top-notch, but ultimately, for me, it neither pays off as a fully-realised drama, nor a biting social-satire which, along with an often glacial pace, left me wishing for a stronger screenplay. ADAM FRESCO
Flow
Flow
This staggeringly cinematic, jacked-up Homeward Bound with a buzzy setting cleverly overcomes some technical limits with a dazzling approach to CG cinematography that recalled the wild swings Steven Spielberg took with his animated Tintin movie (lots and lots of oners, naturally). Took me way back to the days where 3D animation like The Mind’s Eye was less about ultra-fine details and more about creating worlds far beyond our own. LIAM MAGUREN
Grafted
Despite a fantastic opening and grisly ending, this unique take on the body horror genre felt like it pulled too many of its thematic punches to fully capitalise on the inspired setup. For me, the Mean Girls trio of bullies leaned too heavily on cliché, diluting the drama surrounding the lead’s troubles of fitting into a new country. Fortunately, the actors elevate the flawed material and there’s a verve to Sasha Rainbow’s direction that help make it a fun enough ride. Much respect to the sound designers and practical effects artist who, with their powers combined, maximise all the “ew yuck” moments. LIAM MAGUREN
A teen mad scientist tale, Grafted‘s billing of “Mean Girls meets Face/Off” in the NZIFF programme might be true in a literal sense, but is several layers too much hyperbole for this serviceable, but not standout, Aotearoa genre effort. That combo of classics does nod towards some Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day, Freaky) mash-up aspirations, but Grafted can’t quite find its balance, and also suffers from some uneven plotting and casting. Some tasty gore though. STEVE NEWALL
Grand Theft Hamlet
Yes, it’s one of those great-idea-shame-about-the-execution movies. The concept rocks (i.e. just watch the wild and wacky trailer), but the movie can’t keep the momentum going. A pair of UK actors, struggling through pandemic lockdown, decide to stage Shakespeare’s Hamlet, inside the virtual-game-world amphitheatre of Grand Theft Auto. Yes it’s a blast watching the assembled actors’ avatars get shot, blown up, and run down during renditions of “To be or not to be”, but it’s a gag that quickly tires, as much for hardcore fans of The Bard as for GTA enthusiasts. ADAM FRESCO
“You can’t stop ART, motherfuckers!” As is the appropriate battle cry of the unemployed actors who valiantly/recklessly attempt a whole-ass Shakespeare inside GTA Online. There isn’t a great deal of substance to this film, but it does take you on a very entertaining journey of theatre nerds (and a documentarian) discovering the joy of machinima and staging a virtual play while trying to survive (both the online lunatics and the RL pandemic). LIAM MAGUREN
Green Border
An absolute powerhouse of a film. I knew next to nothing about the Belarus-Poland border conflict but director Agnieszka Holland educated me right proper with this all-encompassing saga that hits like a throat-choking thriller while carrying itself with the power of a prestige drama. LIAM MAGUREN
All 2024 mini-reviews:
Latest reviews | A-G | H-O | P-Z
