How Far Is Heaven 2012

The kids, whose effervescent personalities light up the screen, are as much a focal point as the nuns. Whether it’s cheeky Damien, who deserves his own sitcom, taniwha-hunter DJ or amusingly honest teenager Chevy, How Far is Heaven is often as funny and moving as Taika Waititi’s Boy, with barely a classroom scene going by without someone testing the patience of the compassionate sisters.

But there are deeper and more moving observations that are left to the audience to discover for themselves, whether it’s the kids discussing their futures while a Mongrel Mob party goes on in the village, a young boy’s thoughts on his dad in prison, or 94-year-old Sister Anna Maria chopping firewood. Smith and Pryor should be commended for their even-handed approach to the subject matter and for seemingly capturing life as it is, without judging or framing it. They lived within the community for a year, and had to gain the trust and acceptance of the community, all without really knowing what would come of their hours of footage. Despite what must have been a difficult editing process, the film naturally meanders through the lives of its protagonists, revealing wisdom, hope and humour. Hide