Dvd
Out Of The Blue
The film begins by hopscotching across the small costal town’s various characters. One clearly stands out: the reclusive and increasingly paranoid Gray (Sunderland). An ongoing feud between Gray and his neighbour erupts in a shouting match about half an hour into the film. He cusses, goes back inside, re-appears a second later with a gun, and shoots his neighbour. His sudden & violent rampage begins and no one is spared, from children to the elderly.
The film focuses on the action of the stunned locals and under prepared police, trying to cope with the 22 hours while Gray was at large.
Starring Karl Urban, Mathew Sunderland, Lois Lawn, Simon Ferry, Tandi Wright, Paul Glover, William Kircher, Georgina Fabish, Fayth Rasmussen
Directed by Robert Sarkies ('Scarfies')
Written by Graeme Tetley, Robert Sarkies (based on the novel 'Aramoana: 22 Hours Of Terror' by Bill O'Brien)
Cinematographer Greig Fraser
Festivals & Awards Screened at Sundance 2006
True Story, Thriller, Drama, Biography | 1hr 50mins | Rated (R15) | contains violence & content that may disturb | Origin: New Zealand
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The Talk
1 votes / 1 comments
Flicks review
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4
The worst thing about this movie is the title, sounds like a Californian surf movie or a shark movie or something (though ‘Aramoana’ was rejected out of consideration for the town). Anyway, the rubbishness ends there in this absorbing thriller based on the true events of Aramoana, November 13 1990. It’s a stunner actually, successfully capturing a sleepy NZ town and the intense, abrupt horror its citizens faced when confronted with our country’s largest mass-murderer (13 died).
It taps into the whole ‘we live in idyllic islands in the Pacific, we’re safe, wacky Americans have guns we don’t, the beach is great, aren’t Kiwis cute?’ mindset, and cracks it wide open.
Probably the film’s greatest asset is that it possesses a realism (making it all the more frightening) and refrains from imposing a point of view on murderer David Gray, or the Aramoana residents. It doesn’t beef up the heroics of the police and residents, nor demonize Gray - because it doesn’t have to. It merely shows them, and their actions speak for themselves.
It begins by hopscotching across the town’s various characters going about their day. One clearly stands out: the reclusive and fiery Gray (Mathew Sunderland, Strongman in Woodenhead).
About half an hour in, Gray storms out of his house and scares the shit out of his neighbour’s children who’ve walked through his property. The kids’ father intervenes and a shouting match begins. Gray cusses, goes back inside, re-appears a second later with a gun, and shoots the man. It’s a great scene, if that’s the word. It’s shocking and chilling like a hard slap.
Few hints are given to the reasons for Gray’s violence. He’s got a fascination with the army, keeps guns in his fridge, is paranoid, and there’s an indication he’s schizophrenic. The point though, is his actions were inexplicable.
After that shooting, Gray’s temperament seems to calm. With a militant stare, he finds the kids cowering in their house and fires shots. Then he sets the house on fire. The fire acts as a beacon as concerned neighbours head towards it to investigate. As they do, Gray shoots them.
The police, unprepared for such an event, miss chances to take him down and he remains at large throughout the night. The residents are on lock down inside their homes, some watching as Gray walks about their properties with his automatic in hand. He even has the nerve to go home and take a nap. It isn’t until the morning he’s found.
The performances by and large are all good, notably: Karl Urban as a policeman who fails to pull the trigger, William Kircher as another cop, and Lois Lawn (a 74 year old film debutant) as a heroic senior cit.
Though at times beautifully photographed, the overuse of short depth of field & soft focus – particularly in scenes with Gray – are more distracting than insightful. And the sound design, looking to unsettle the audience, was irritating in the first half hour. But these things become minor due to the shear force of the sad, shocking story – as something that actually happened, and as part of our history. A must see, especially for New Zealanders.
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The people's reviews
18 reviews
Press Reviews
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NZ Herald
5
It can show us what it felt like to be there. And if that makes it a film to be survived more than enjoyed, it also means it's succeeded as one of the most powerful pieces of New Zealand cinema in an age...
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The Lumi?re Reader [Wellington]
4
In its distilled, composed articulation of tragedy amidst a prolonged drought of truly courageous local films, Out of the Blue can perhaps in time, be considered something of a watershed in New Zealand cinema. It is far too important to avoid, though may be too painful for some. It is at once paralysing and cathartic. I don’t think I’ll ever see it again...
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The Press [Christchurch]
3
1/2 A thoughtful and sensitive dramatisation of one of New Zealand's blackest days... Unfortunately, the filmmakers' desire not to offend means the emotional impact of the film is somewhat muted...
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TV3 [Kate Rodger]
5
With Out of the Blue, Rob Sarkies cements his place among our great film makers, crafting, in my view, the most important new zealand film ever made...
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Variety [USA]
An effectively harrowing and non-exploitative recap of real-life events... Chilling, often moving docudrama focuses not so much on the mayhem or murderer, but on the bewildered, occasionally courageous reactions of ordinary citizens caught in the inexplicable violence...
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