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Topless Women Talk About Their Lives (Part 3 New Zealand)Sep 19 '01 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line This is all so New Zealand... This third installment in my foreign film series shows what I believe is the best that the New Zealand Film Industry has to offer. A very recent comer in the world of film, the NZFI was set up in 1978, and as per usual, the infant industry's first offerings were somewhat pathetic, things really picked up in the eighties however, propelling it towards its phenomenal success in the nineties. Such explorations of their own culture as we find in Once Were Warriors fascinated the rest of the world as well. New Zealand films have a tendency towards the bizarre, but as such are really quite fascinating to see. Done tastefully, well most of the time, this bizarreness is one of the trademarks and allure given to New Zealand films. 6. The Piano- Though I did not particularly like this film myself, I recognise I good film when I see one. I found the movie was a bit too bizarre and morbid for my taste. Yet aside from this, it is ultimately a happy film. Set in the nineteenth century, a young woman, as part of an arranged marriage, is forced from her home in Scotland to the South Island of New Zealand. Here she finds that life in the new world, and life with her new husband was not all that it was meant to be, aside from this, she is also trying to raise a young daughter whom she brought with her from Scotland, along with her piano. Her greatest anguish is when her husband sells her piano to a neighbour, who informs her that she can only get it back if she gives him piano lessons. This she does, with various conditions attached, and ultimately falls in love with this neighbour. This pushes them both into a very awkward situation, though the ending is satisfactory, the removal of fingers and other such things by a vengeful husband would deter me from ever seeing it again. All said, however, the technical side was brilliant, and I do believe that the nineteenth century wilds of New Zealand put on the screen in this movie are some of the most picturesque scenes ever to grace the screen 5. Heavenly Creatures- Once again rather morbid for my liking, this is none the less one of the greatest New Zealand films ever to be produced. Essentially a coming of age movie, two girls in the early nineteen hundreds find themselves falling in love with each other. The mother of one of the girls soon realises this, the girls are separated, the mother and her daughter move away. Advised by her daughter's psychologist however, the mother allows the other girl to make rare visits. Their love however does not diminish, instead it grows, and blossoms into a heinous hatred of the one obstacle that stands in their way. In one of the most heart-wrenchingly brutal scenes I have ever seen in a movie, that obstacle is removed. I think the thing that really sickened me about this film is that it was based on a true story. In the traditional sense it is a coming of age movie, the exploration of the sexuality of two young girls. However it also explores how the separation of the desire from the desired thing, and the delusion it can cause. 4. Scarfies- A bit lighter than the other two, Scarfies is about five university students who are squatters (Scarfies). They decide to squat in an old abandoned warehouse, where upon finding a locked door, they promptly open it. What is inside is pure gold, well a lot of marijuana anyway. Becoming amateur drug lords, they sell the produce for quite a personal gain, until the real owner comes knocking. A continual spiraling down through the criminal underworld ensues; murder should not even stand in the way of these desperate young men. Deliciously twisted, and very well scripted, this movie is great to watch for the story alone. Somewhat of a New Zealand version of Lock, Stock, yet definitely with that bizarre New Zealand taste at the fore. 3. The Price of Milk- Recently winning best film at the Korean Film Festival, this film is a riot of a romantic comedy. However if you're expecting normality, then don't look here for it. You'd have to be in love with rural New Zealand to want to live there with 117 cows, your fiancé and an agoraphobic dog. Yes, the dog does have a fear of open spaces, and yes, it is a problem that is resolved by the end of the film. The dog lives in a box. So anyway, just imagine that one day you are driving along, and you accidentally hit an old Maori woman, who though unhurt, wants revenge. Thus she steals your magic blanket and your love is all gone, you and your fiancé are not exactly on the best of terms anymore. Thus it's a matter of learning to love again, and that's what this movie is about, regaining that which you take for granted. It has a seriously enjoyable twisted nature to it though, I think whoever came up with this plot should be given an award. Most drugged scriptwriter or something like that!! 2. Topless Women Talk About Their Lives- Once again those devious scriptwriters from New Zealand have given us a doozy of a plot to wrap our heads around. And once again that is the major call card of the movie. Our hero is due to have an abortion, but pulls out, to the dismay of her boyfriend, and the father of the child, deciding she wants to keep the baby. The dilemma? Well, she needs to decide which partner suits her better. At her best friend's wedding, Neil, the father of the baby proposes to her. It's a shame though that she prefers her boyfriend Geoff, only he's not too interested because he's too preoccupied with his girlfriend. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, one of her friends has written a script for a documentary, in which topless women talk about their lives. A great and twisted comedy, I don't think even I could dredge any deeper meaning out of it!! 1. Once Were Warriors- Easily the most straightforward script I have ever heard of a New Zealander writing, this film is extremely poignant. It explores relationships on a level common to people the world over, yet also manages to capture the spirit of Maori and tribal pride. Jake is a violent drunk. He beats his wife, and yet he loves his family, more than anything else. We pick up the story as this not so uncommon relationship is in full swing, and follow the lives of Jake's family for four weeks. Jake's drunken beatings effect the whole family, his eldest son is part of an ethnic gang, his youngest son may be fostered to another family, as he is in trouble with the law. His daughter also has many troubles that are central to the plot. This is a time when Jake needs to be strong. Which watch the ripple out effect of his self-destruction, but also watch him fix things as he drags what remains of his life together to form a coherent love for the people in his life. Once again I truly hope you enjoyed reading this. This makes installment number three in my foreign films listing. previous entries are... Don't Look Now...I Think They're Shooting At Us (French) He Died, With a Falafel in His Hand (Australia) Coming soon...The Most Desired Man (Part 4 Germany)  |
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by dangbro by jeff_wilder78 by Stephen_Murray
