This year’s Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival is now underway, and features plenty of gems.
Check out what we’re watching, and keep checking this page for our latest reactions, updated throughout the festival.
Latest NZIFF minis | Minis A – M | Minis N – Z
Pavements
A traditional doco could never capture the ethos, impact, or personalities of iconic 90s band Pavement. There’s enough archive and reminiscence here to satisfy a historical perspective, but filmmaker Alex Ross Perry utterly nails an unconventional approach that sits perfectly with the band’s aesthetic—and in particular, truculent contrarian (and sometimes savage) frontman Stephen Malkmus. Pavements layers fact and fiction wonderfully, with parallel approaches that ought not be spoiled. Equal parts funny, nostalgic, celebratory, and self-deprecating—as it should be.
STEVE NEWALL
Wowee Zowee, this rock-u-mock-u-mentary is a bit of a thrill ride for Pavement heads, of which I am glad to be one. Woe betide the casual observer or uninitiated, though, as over an equally reverent and ridiculous two hours we are treated to rare footage, generous access to the band, and of course interwoven snippets of a lovingly and hilariously fabricated Hollywood biopic (starring Joe Keery and with a Tim Heidecker cameo), and hyper-earnest Pavement musical that technically did actually get a showing. Capturing moments from the band’s inception to the recent reunion shows, it’s a glorious thing to see frontman Steve Malkmus’ redemption arc from the royally reluctant prince of the sullen slackers to someone who finally finds some joy in his own creation.
MATTHEW CRAWLEY
Sirât
The first HOLY SHIT film of the festival for me, Sirât will undoubtedly be one of the talks of the town this week. In turns riveting, ominous, and impeccably cast, this film is both unmissable and at times incredibly hard to watch. Also well worth noting, all the moods, from ecstatic to impossibly intense, are enhanced tenfold by the phenomenal (and Cannes winning) soundtrack from Kangding Ray. The less you know, the better.
MATTHEW CRAWLEY
Twinless
Dylan O’Brien is really bloody good as a big-hearted bro-y dumb-dumb navigating the loss of his twin brother. But this is writer-director James Sweeney’s show, casting himself as the nexus of the film’s psychologically warped and emotionally twisted tale of friendship, loneliness, and desperation. Narratively inventive with proper dramatic heft that fuels the abundance of cringe comedy, this would pair nicely with Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship for anyone daring a double feature on destructive clinginess.
LIAM MAGUREN
The Weed Eaters
Sure, it’s technically a “funny horror” but I think to really understand the uniqueness of this homegrown DIY effort, it’s best to describe it as a deadpan gross-out comedy—a rare combo of disciplines this film punches out effortlessly. Weirdly reminiscent of Aussie flick Birdeater (which played at last year’s NZIFF) with the suspense centred on a young woman being stuck with her boyfriend’s dipshit mates, a rambunctious approach to editing, and a stupendous jazz score that rolls the whole joint together. Character motivations get a bit messy near the end, but not enough to kill the buzz.
LIAM MAGUREN
Hilarious, horrifying, gross and clever—this is CINEMA baby! I honestly haven’t had so much fun at the movies for a long, long time. The audience at the Civic Theatre world premiere was a riot of laughter and groans of disgust (my neighbour was literally dry gagging). This film isn’t just a triumph for micro-budget cinema, it’s a triumph full stop. It looks slick, the scripting is sharp, the cast is shit-hot and the music is *chef’s kiss*. This is a cult classic in the making, and if you’re smart you’ll get to a screening asap so you can have boasting rights for catching The Next Big Thing in Aotearoa Film before anyone else.
RACHEL ASHBY
Werckmeister Harmonies
Celebrating 25 years with a sumptuous on-screen resurrection, fans of the cinematic beauty and cerebral fireworks of Andrei Tarkovsky and David Lynch will relish this monochromatic Hungarian masterpiece. Communism crushes the soul as a sinister circus disrupts a desolate town. Its main attraction? A gigantic, rotting whale. Surrender to its languid, hallucinatory dreamscape and you’re in for a mind-warping, magical, metaphorical movie, replete with imagery that lingers long after the final reel.
ADAM FRESCO
Workmates
Clever, fast, and funny, this is an impressive local release with a lot of heart and soul. Strong performances from the whole cast, with a joyful amount of IYKYK local cameos popping up throughout. A romcom about loving and letting go, and a reminder that sometimes—even if you love something heaps—you might be part of the problem. Relatable (and low key triggering) for anyone who’s worked in community arts, it’s a great reminder that even the well intentioned old guard has to eventually make room for the new so that there can be growth. Fabulous to watch in the Civic and then walk straight out into the film’s primary shooting locations of the Basement Theatre and Aotea Square.
RACHEL ASHBY
