Another year is almost over and what an incredible year it’s been for New Zealand film. Congratulations to all the finalists and winners at the recent Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards. Competition was fierce this year, and it was fantastic to see such a diverse range of films being honoured.
Rialto Channel’s celebration of New Zealand film continues this week with the poetic and moody coming of age story The Weight of Elephants. For the ballerina in the family, you can enjoy director Toa Fraser’s Giselle, featuring the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
You’ll find plenty of other gems to enjoy over the coming week as you unwind with family and friends. Have a wonderful Christmas, and all the best wishes for the New Year.
Here are my picks for the week;
Giselle (2013)
Starring: Royal New Zealand Ballet
Directed by: Toa Fraser
Screening: Rialto Documentary, Thursday 25th December, 8.30pm
Swapping dialogue for dance, two art forms collide in this film from Dean Spanley director Toa Fraser (The Dead Lands). Along with cinematographer Leon Narbey, Fraser captured the New Zealand Royal Ballet’s 2012 performance of Giselle, and the result is remarkable. Not only do you get to enjoy this acclaimed ballet, but also the close-up and aerial shots let you see the facial expressions and gestures of the ballet dancers, and the choreography from a fresh perspective. The wonderful American Ballet Theatre star Gillian Murphy performs the lead role of a young villager who finds her loved one already betrothed, but budding ballerinas get the opportunity to see all their NZRB idols close up and in stunning detail.
The Weight of Elephants (2011)
Starring: Demos Murphy, Angelina Cottrell & Matthew Sunderland
Directed by: Daniel Joseph Borgman
Screening: Rialto New Wave, Wednesday 24th December, 8.30pm
The adaptation of Sonya Hartnett’s coming of age novel Of A Boy, is the feature debut of Denmark-based Dunedin-born director Daniel Joseph Borgman. Moody, poetic and beautifully shot in New Zealand’s deep south by Swedish director of photography, Sophia Olsson, The Weight of Elephants tells the story of Adrian, a sensitive eleven year old who has been abandoned by his mother to live with his weary grandmother (Catherine Wilkin) and bipolar uncle Rory (Matthew Sunderland). When new kids move into the neighbourhood Adrian is convinced they’re abducted kids he’s heard about on the news. The Weight of Elephants debuted at the Berlin Film Festival in 2013, and at the New Zealand International Film Festival; Borgman is a definitely a director to keep an eye on.
Mood Indigo (2013)
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Romain Duris, Omar Sy and Gad Elmaleh
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Screening: Rialto World, Monday 22nd December, 8.30pm
Another kooky, romantic, weird and wonderful film from quirky genius and French filmmaker Michel Gondry (The Science of Sleep, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Mood Indigo almost needs to be seen twice. Once to appreciate the art direction and man-made inventiveness of Gondry’s vision, such as the Pianocktail - literally, a piano that makes cocktails. And a second time to appreciate how it contributes to the story. Mood Indigo is adapted from cult French novel L'écume des jours (Froth on the Daydream) by Boris Vian and stars Audrey Tautou, as a woman suffering from an unusual illness caused by a flower growing in her lungs. The work of music video turned feature film director Michel Gondry is an acquired taste, and in this particular outing his surreal style overwhelms the story, but those with a strong appreciation for creativity and invention will just love what he cooks up in Mood Indigo.