District 9 (2009)

Directed by Neill Blomkamp

Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell

****

District 9 caused a furore on release.  Prawns.  A new look at xenophobia and racism.  Catfood.  Peter Jackson throwing his weight behind an up-and-coming auteur.  Oscar nominations.  It seemed like everyone was queuing up to praise former animator Neill Blomkamp’s first feature film.

So I’m a lot late to the party, but allow me onto the bandwagon: it is pretty awesome – a well executed and original concept, an alien movie set not around the White House, but the slums of South Africa, raising all sorts of questions whilst still providing a story and enough alien versus human interaction to satisfy the sci-fi, thriller and splatter fans.

Interestingly, the filmmakers say they did not set out to make a political film – but they have.  It may be satisfying entertainment, but the film is intrinsically political fare.  A story of separation and subjugation set in the place which formed the bedrock of apartheid couldn’t just be art, or irony: it’s a statement and invitation to reflect.

The subversion of accepted entertainment norms is possibly the most interesting aspect of that statement.  Innate human vanity usually casts our race as the oppressed, valiantly fighting against a more advanced and better-equipped foe bent on exterminating us.  Conversely, in this case of interplanetary aggression the aliens are refugees, washing up powerless in Earth’s skies, unable to prevent themselves being forced into isolated prison camps which become smaller and more squalid the longer their stay on earth.

Unsurprisingly there are culture clashes, exploitation, and uprisings amongst the marginalized, and we are forced to look at a few hard truths.  The harsher the humans become, the less the aliens care about hurting them, ensuring a continuing cycle of hostility – and then the film intensifies, establishing more than interplanetary violence, with a grimly realistic progression to groups of humans fighting each other for possession of unmasterable alien weaponry.

The threads of the story weave authenticity in with the big bangs and excellent CGI the genre demands.  Greed overtakes the desire for a solution, fear causes civil rights abuses, the possibility of technological advance trumps basic humanity, and violence escalates until direct orders are disobeyed and the only answer is to grab a stronger weapon.  District 9 is a magnificent debut, a thoughtful film in disguise, and with an open ending setting up the franchise, Blomkamp’s future in the ranks of Blockbuster-capable writer/directors seems assured.

Were you interested in District 9’s social commentary? For a chilling story of inhuman and escalating violence so severe the perpetrators seem more alien than human, attempt the utterly terrifying documentary-style Gomorrah, based on actual stories of the Neapolitan mafia.

Out of the Blue (2006)

Directed by Robert Sarkies

Written by Graeme Tetley and Robert Sarkies

*****

Aramoana is a statement word, now – a place name tied to tragedy in New Zealand’s public consciousness.  The events of those November days in 1990 remain the worst mass murder in our country’s history, yet at the time it was just “the pathway to the sea,” a small, sleepy township at the mouth of Otago Harbour.

Robert Sarkies’ sensitive and immensely powerful second feature film Out of the Blue takes us back to innocent, seemingly idyllic times, then drags us through the shocking ordeal.  Based on Bill O’Brien’s book, Aramoana: 22 Hours of Terror, this isn’t a complete shot-by-shot chronicle, nor is it a slick, sensationalised thriller.  Instead, by focussing on how the residents, including the gunman, react to the unthinkable, Sarkies has created a layered portrait of the everyday turned upside down under extreme pressure.

The beautiful landscape and vignettes of ordinary life in the community leave us completely unprepared for what is about to happen, even though history has already filled in the ending.  As the pressure within increasingly paranoid David Gray builds up, you still wish for anything, anyone, to reach out in time to stop him.  Detachedly taking his reponse to what he is doing into account as much as the reactions of those he is terrorising makes the film all the more upsettingly realistic: this is not clear-cut fiction, it is real life, and begs the question “what would you do?”

With incredibly poetic cinematography and extremely fine performances, Out of the Blue is able to lay out the tragic chain of events in real terms, showing people doing the best they can to cope with the situation they’re in, whether that be comforting a wounded stranger, crawling through ditches for help, creeping through smoke-filled darkness looking for a madman with a gun who’s already killed neighbours and friends, or lashing out in an attempt to keep the world from persecuting you.  Stunning, in all senses of the word.

For a similarly potent, non-moralising look at issues of mental health and gun control, see Gus Van Sant’s dream-like Elephant, an exploration of youth culture, alienation, and violence culminating in the Columbine High School massacre in the United States.

The Hopes & Dreams of Gazza Snell

Directed by Brendan Donovan

Written by Brendan Donovan and David Brechin-Smith

***

Howick teenager Mark is a champion go-karter, with pipsqueak younger brother Ed hot on his tail.  Enthusiastic dad Gazza is their coach, mechanic, bankroll and support team, and determined that Mark’s talent should get him on the track to formula one racing in Europe.

But when tragedy strikes the Snell family, their united front crumbles.  Drifting apart in a string of blame, misunderstandings, and mishandled situations, everyone has something to hide.

I still feel guilty for not supporting The Hopes & Dreams of Gazza Snell during its cinema run, but that says something in itself: watching a petrol-fuelled melodrama just did not appeal to me, even if it was local product.  When the DVD was released, my homework was set, and I was relieved to find things to enjoy.

Donovan’s debut feature was filmed in East Auckland, and as a slice of Howick life it succeeds admirably: the landmarks, stereotypes and humour are all true to form, and probably the most appealing thing about the film.  The supporting cast have some excellent material to work with, and if the subplots are a little unfocussed, it is only because the film is rich with detail and trying to say too much.

The first-time actors and real-life brothers playing the Snell boys are both fantastic, although given their extreme dissimilarity to their screen parents I was wondering if an adoption subplot would unwind.  Joel Tobeck deftly walks the fine line between hero and villain as a trusted family friend, and Robyn Malcolm gives her all as the long suffering Gail, at the end of her tether with irresponsible Gazza.

Which is where it all falls down.  As far as problems go, an unlikeable title character trumps all.  Gazza is a dreamer, an adult who needs to grow up and address what his hopes and dreams should really be – but instead of roguish and blokey, he comes across selfish, boorish, and destructive.  The antics which I assume were meant to provoke a laugh of recognition instead had me hoping Gazza would lose everything, just to serve him right.

The Hopes & Dreams of Gazza Snell has largely been an audience pleaser, to those who have made the effort to see it, and any Kiwi looking for their stories on the big screen will find something worth watching.  Donovan has a unique voice, as proven with his two Insider’s Guide television series, and although he hasn’t quite hit the mark here I will be looking out for his next film.

Keen on cars?  Try a modern Kiwi classic - Florian Habicht’s acclaimed feature length documentary Kaikohe Demolition follows colourful local characters through a year’s demolition derbies in the far north.  It’s packed with flavour, humour and car wrecks, and full of cheeky charm.