Dvd
The Strength Of Water
New Zealand drama, set and shot in Hokianga, by playwright Briar Grace-Smith and first-time director Armagan Ballantyne. Strength of Water has screened at the world's most prestigious film festivals including Cannes, Rotterdam, Berlin, Shanghai and Sydney.
Ten-year-olds Kimi and Melody are twins living with their parents and three siblings on a farm on the Hokianga coast. Together they deliver eggs around the district - and lavish attention on a favoured hen they've named Aroha. The arrival of Tai, a teenage drifter looking to move into the local tapu house that belonged to his grandfather, precipitates a terrible accident. Kimi must learn to live apart from Melody, and Tai must learn to deal with the hostility of those in the small community who equate him with the cursed house. Meanwhile Tirea, the lonely teenage girl in whom Kimi senses a kindred spirit, finds fragile understanding with the outcast Tai. 'I'm bad luck,' says he. 'But when I look at you,' she replies, 'I see light.' The muted frankness with which the characters in this film feel out the bonds of connection is piercingly direct.
I cannot think of another New Zealand film in which the natural world is such a living entity as this - or in which animal life is so integral. The lightest of musical scores adds its quiet descant to nature's ebb and flow to remind us that the most meaningful messages are often not shouted, but whispered. (Source: NZ International Film Festival)
Starring Nancy Brunning, Hato Paparoa, Pare Paseka, Melanie Mayall-Nahi, Isaac Barber, Jim Moriarty, Shayne Biddle
Directed by Armagan Ballantyne (feature debut)
Written by Briar Grace-Smith
Drama | 1hr 26mins | Rated (M) | contains violence, offensive language, sex scenes | Origin: New Zealand, Germany | Official Site »
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The Talk
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Flicks review
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3
This was the big local show at the 2009 New Zealand International Film Festival. Maori culture and an evocative use of landscape both have a strong hand to play in this tale of overcoming grief and examining the modern rural existence.
A comparatively basic approach means that the cast has to do much of the heavy lifting when it comes to creating and building the drama. They succeed with solid performances; the lead child actors, in particular, excel in their roles. The story is strong too, providing a sense of magic realism that, when combined with a preponderance of animals in the narrative and an expressive use of weather, lends the piece a mystical quality without resorting to flashy or ostentatious technique. Instead, these subtle elements act in harmony and the whole becomes more than the sum of its parts.
The emotional quotient is here but it isn't milked for all it is worth. Sadly, for some that will mean the piece comes off a little bland. But The Strength of Water is a film with plenty of quiet charm in the best tradition of New Zealand cinema.SHARE:
The people's reviews
44 reviews
Press Reviews
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Dominion Post (Graeme Tuckett)
4
In the leads, Jim Moriarty and Nancy Brunning give performances that are a lesson in control and nuance, while the newcomers in the cast are collectively astonishing. The Strength of Water is a terrific wee film, it may never get the exposure or international kudos of Whale Rider - with which it is going to be endlessly and pointlessly compared - but I liked it a great deal. Do go and see it.
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Empire (UK)
4
Ballantyne crafts a thoughtful depiction of how a tragedy reverberates and the ways individuals cope with their grief. From a cast of newcomers, the performances are superb, anchoring the deeply affecting story. Beautifully shot, taking advantage of atmospheric scenery, which is a character in itself... a beautiful and moving film about enduring bonds.
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NZ Herald (Peter Calder)
4
Small but powerful local debut is a remarkable achievement.
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ScreenDaily.com (USA)
Childhood, sudden death, Maori culture and rugged New Zealand scenery make a potent mix, compellingly handled by Armagan Ballantyne in her debut feature The Strength of Water. A largely naturalistic melodrama with a restrained undertow of magic realism, this brooding but approachable story sets an introverted mood against imposing landscape visuals and, while not as commercially exuberant as the similarly-themed Whale Rider, Ballantyne’s feature has a quiet polish and emotional honesty that could win it a modest slice of the international market which embraced that film.
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