A man's search for a stolen artifact leads him to the haunted town filled with Voodoo gangsters, masked adventurers, Depression-era private eyes, and violent chiaroscuro women.
Alan Moore is known, among other things, as the writer of many comics such as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, V for Vendetta, Prometheus, Watchmen, Batman: The Killing Joke, and The Swamp Thing. The Show is based on the works of Alan Moore, specifically the short film series Show Pieces that Moore worked on with Mitch Jenkins (who has also returned to direct this piece). With returning characters and continuations of the pre-existing series history, if Show Piecesis not something you are familiar with, you are in for an unusual experience.
The Showisn't completely inaccessible without knowledge of the world ahead of viewing, but it is certainly an advantage. While the piece spends most of its runtime with exposition and heavy-handed monologue, the world is full of weird and wonderful characters; all with their own peculiar and wonderful powers and abilities, creating an overload of information to take in with little disclosure on how relevant or necessary that knowledge is to the narrative of the film.
With so much information needed for the convoluted plot and a large amount of misdirection and red herrings, The Showis awkwardly artistic and leads the audience down a rabbit hole of unrelenting nonsense. Lacking focus, the film has very little in terms of a narrative direction, simply leading its protagonists passively through a series of experiences and introductions where more information is fed to them until the final reveal. There is a certain level of charm, and the creativity is undeniable, but the convoluted plot will give the audience a hard time keeping up, and the rapid introduction and discarding of characters will provide the audience nothing to hook into or care about. Riding the line between absurd nonsense and intellectual dissonance, the deep line-up of characters are unfortunately stuck with nothing significant to do.
In a mysterious world of eccentricities, outrageousness, and fantastical personalities, our lead never manages to hold enough charisma to keep the interest of the audience. Motives remain unknown, the lines between reality and fiction intertwine, and Dennis the Menace is running around with as much control as a plastic bag on the set of American Beauty; simply along for the ride. While it lacks focus, pacing, and charisma, the peculiarities and obscenities are reminiscent of the unfiltered mind of a child, with the ideology that all ideas are good ideas. The Showis so far from predictable that it still keeps the audience in their seats, if for no other reason than to see how weird this world can be.
In this intimate exploration of identity, trauma, and power, a young woman seeks out her birth mother, inadvertently triggering a string of events that change both their lives.
Every once in a while, you come across a film that appears to tick all of the boxes. It explores a dark or controversial topic, it avoids unnatural lighting and exuberant cinematography, it prefers to utilize silence over dialogue, in fact from a critic's point of view, Rose Plays Juliewould be an ideal dramatic film. When you look at the film outside of the lens of judging it on the quality of its parts, you quickly realize that the effect of the parts combined doesn't create something spectacular. Not even on par. Rose Plays Juliehas everything it needs, but a critical element turns what should have been a classic, into a bore.
The premise of the film has solid dramatic foundations with a journey of self-identity; a search for her birth parents. An unexpected piece of information knocks the film off of its tracks and sends it off on a tangent away from drama, towards the crime and thriller genres. It never quite makes it there, however, with the pacing coming across like a game of golf; moments of energy separated by long periods of silence.
From a cinematography perspective, the film is well-composed, with slow push-ins and push-backs highlighting the emotional cues of the script. The use of natural lighting (or lack thereof, in many cases) and cold colour-palette give the film a grounded and authentic atmosphere, which turns eerie considering the subject matter.
The issues with the film come from one element though; the casting. Our main protagonist (played by Ann Skelly) simply lacks any form of charisma or emotional content. Rose lives in a state of shock, rarely closing her mouth, and spends so much time staring into nothingness, that it creates a dull and repetitive feel that garners diminishing returns as the cinematographer pushes in and pulls back again and again. In a world that is largely devoid of people, where the streets are empty and the buildings unused, the personality and charm of the film relies entirely on the personality and charm of the acting team.
The film is so full of supposed emotional contemplation that it completely stalls any attempt at developing its protagonist. In fact, the film isn't even about Rose (or Julie), the story revolves around her mother, Ellen (played by Orla Brady). Rose doesn't even get a resolution to her identity crisis. Brady is the emotional anchor of the film, around which the entire film's plot revolves around, whose performance is the shining beacon of hope in the entire 100-minute runtime. Casting woes continue with the casting of Aidan Gillen. Anyone of the millions of people who have seen his performance in Game Of Thrones will struggle to hide their lack of surprise as to his role in the film. Realistically a poor choice for the role, when the actor has been so heavily typecast.
The premise is dark, uncomfortable, and unsettling, but the exploration of the topic leaves a lot to be desired. With one-note characters, the direction of the film is predictable, with extended moments of contemplation falling on deaf ears when the moment provides nothing for the audience to ponder. the film takes three different types of people with unique forms of alter egos and then proceeds to do little with them. If you enjoy slow films, this could be worth a watch for Brady's performance alone, but if a lack of pacing is a deal-breaker, then it may pay to give this a miss.
Rose Plays Julie is in cinemas from December 9, 2021
Tensions rise between restless teenager Julija and her oppressive father Ante when an old family friend arrives at their Croatian island home. As Ante attempts to broker a life-changing deal, their tranquil yet isolated existence leaves Julija wanting more from this influential visitor, who provides a taste of liberation over a weekend laid bare to desire and violence.
Boundless yet restrictive, calm yet relentless and powerful, Murina portrays both the open waters and a father in the same light; things that our protagonist is both comfortable with and afraid of. Significant parts of her life, familiar but ultimately representing prisons keep her from the freedom she desires.
Gorgeously shot, Murina is a slow burn that manages to remain emotionally charged throughout, despite an outwardly constrained set of events. A young girl, Julija (Gracija Filipovic) lives trapped on a beautiful Croatian island home, living a cyclical, repetitive set of events from day to day, a schedule set by her father. Longingly wanting to join the fun and excitement of the tourists that visit and then leave towards the unknown, Julija finds herself in a rebellious stage of life, pushing back on the boundaries that have been put in place by her controlling, and overprotective parent.
A new temporary addition (New Zealand's own Cliff Curtis) to the family brings buried history to the surface and puts the spotlight on what could be a potential for escape, for young Julija.
With a minimal cast and limited locations around this island home, director, Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, makes a strong choice to consistently explore the emotional narratives of each character. Constantly building and strengthening the core foundations of each character with every interaction. The four main characters are surprisingly complex, and anything but one-dimensional, portraying a variety of personalities depending on who they interact with. Cliff Curtis' Javier is to Julija, the loving uncle that could help her get away from the island, or to Julija's mother Nela (Danica Curcic), Javier is the one that got away; a romantic connection rekindled. To Julija's father Ante (Leon Lucev), however, Javier is a threat to the patriarchy of the family, while an opportunity for him to escape the island himself.
Julija finds herself torn between these two men in her life, and uses both her own interactions and the observed interactions of her mother, to figure out what path she needs. Both men represent differing extremes of masculinity, one that uses physical and emotional violence to ensure the submission of the women in his life, the other using money, stories, and charm to hide the pain in his life. Spurned by the calling of the outside world, she bates her father who exercises his power and control whenever it is threatened.
Surrounded by water, the film spends a good portion of the film diving deep into it, providing quiet moments for contemplation as the troubles of the world above cease to exist. Moments for Julija to explore jealousy, fear, resentment, envy, oppression, aggression, charm, and desire, without the external forces of her parents acting upon her. Her peaceful place, marred by her father's presence every morning; a presence that she comes to despise.
A slow burn, but emotionally compelling, Murina offers a coming-of-age story that beautifully encompasses the need to recognize and break away from oppression in a more realistic and grounded sense. Beautiful lighting and cinematography frames the delicate internal interactions well. Well worth a view.
Murina has been selected for screening at NZIFF 2021, now opening in Christchurch on Friday 29 October, Wellington opening on Thursday 4 November, and Dunedin on Friday 5 November, followed by the nine regional centres, before a nationwide release next year.
The Hatton Garden Safe Deposit heist during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend of 2015 captured the attention of the British public and media alike. A fascinating insight into the true events of the Hatton Garden jewellery heist and its aftermath, Hatton Garden tells the story of the largest burglary in British legal history.
Heists have always been a fun genre of film, where the audience gets to enjoy the intrigue of committing a significant crime. Often overly convoluted plans are carried out by super suave and charismatic individuals who carry out heists for the thrill of succeeding more than the actual financial gain. The Hatton Garden Heist, on the other hand, puts together a different scenario entirely. Instead of fit, young, and charming individuals getting together, this is a very simple heist conspired by a crew of geriatric men. A complete flip on the usual expectations, this four-part mini-series piques the curiosity further as it is based on true events that occurred six years ago.
The ability to carry out a heist in this modern technologically advanced day-and-age with a crew that barely have the physicality to tie their own shoes, have to monitor their sugar intake, and have trouble going to the toilet, is an exceptional task, and forms a very gripping first few parts. The reality of the situation is a much simpler affair than what Ocean's 11, Mission Impossible, or The Italian Jobwould lead you to believe. It's the simplicity that highlights the exquisite work that the series writers Jeff Pope and Terry Winsor have put into building up the characters of Kenny, Danny, Brian, Basil, and Terry.
It's the brilliantly grounded way in which these characters move and react with each other that builds a solid history between characters from the smallest of interactions. The apathy, irritation, and varying levels of respect and loyalty between each person create an incredibly authentic team of criminals. What is also very well put in place, is the focus on their familial commitments and health issues as a manner in which to bring the audience to empathize and sympathize with the crew. While our attitude towards each member changes over time, it all serves to create an engaging story; regardless of whether we want them to succeed or fail.
It all together creates a well-written mini-series. A realistic tone set up with suitable cinematography, and a rabble of not-necessarily-likeable-but-understandable-and-relatable characters. Granted this is my first time learning about The Hatton Garden Heist, but it was certainly a gripping tale.
The Hatton Garden Heist is premiering on AcornTV exclusively in New Zealand
After a remote diamond mine collapses in the far northern regions of Canada, an ice driver leads an impossible rescue mission over a frozen ocean to save the lives of trapped miners despite thawing waters and a threat they never see coming.
Liam Neeson is really doing everything in his power to maintain his legacy as an action hero, after his success with iback in 2008. In the last couple of years, we've seen him in The Marksman, Honest Thief, Cold Pursuit, The Commuter, and now The Ice Road. What sort of murderous situation has his wholesome character been unwittingly drawn into this time?
To be perfectly honest, the first act of this film is a stroke of genius. At least as far as New Zealand goes, we love Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, John Wick, CSI), we love Liam Neeson (Taken, The Grey, Schindler's List), we love The History Channel's Ice Road Truckers, and the premise really hits home as New Zealand was rocked by the Pike River Mine tragedy that took the lives of 29 miners in 2010 (their bodies still have not been recovered) and led to legislation improvements that resulted in a new Health & Safety at Work Act. The sequence of events that occurs is something that every single person in the construction industry has been taught about, and it resonates with us as a country.
Combining three things that we love with a premise that mirrors the national tragedy that led to the largest overhaul of health and safety legislation in 25 years? Brilliant decisions. Does The Ice Roadend up scoring a hyperbolic 110%? Unfortunately, by the time it crosses the finish line, it's long ago run out of fuel and leaves the audience feeling...meh.
It's an incredibly disappointing turn of events. A highly relatable sequence of events, with some very well-known and likeable names in the cast list, and yet, some poor writing choices result in a near-perfect first act going to waste. Fishburne and Neeson do a commendable job, turning one-dimensional characters into something worth investing in. They turn "brother of mentally impaired man" and "truck driver" into well-rounded characters that have priorities, ideals, and both ethical and moral standards. All of this is done in a few scenes, with minimal dialogue setup; all through some reasonable direction from Jonathan Hensleigh, but mostly from the pedigree of the actors.
At some point, however, Hensleigh was not content with his story. Not content that he could pull off a Togoand have a film that centres entirely on the idea of traversing this inhospitable and questionably safe ice road, for 30 hours straight, out-of-season, and while carrying 700,000 pounds of cargo, when the act of stopping, moving too fast, or too slow, can sink you to the bottom of the water in seconds. Hensleigh was unable to bring tension to this premise without the introduction of actual physical villains. In a decision that reeks of letting a 9-year-old come up with the story, The Ice Roadtakes a drastic turn in the second act; one that it never fully recovers from. The creation of a physical secondary villain element completely sweeps the titular threat under the rug. Everything that the film was building up until that point is essentially disregarded for some caricatures so poorly developed that you can see them twirling their metaphorical moustache in every scene they are in.
The film attempts to balance two sides of the equation at once--the truckers traversing the thinning ice road, and the miners attempting to stay alive--and for what it's worth, the miners' perspectives are not ignored. The story delves into not just the immediate causes of the tragedy, but also the underlying systemic problems that meant the inciting incident was not only likely but guaranteed to happen at some point. It is the other aspect of the natural tension that is undercut by Hensleigh's script, which keeps pushing for more and more "Hollywood" action. The tension between prioritizing production over safety is a balancing act that every high-risk business undergoes on a daily basis. Balancing financial costs, severity, likelihood, available technology, etc., but the script wants none of it. Hensleigh's The Ice Roadwants action; car chases, snowmobile, and motorbike fights, shootouts, hand-to-hand combat. It's all in there, it's all unnecessary, and it's all poorly paced.
It all culminates into one of the most anticlimactic fight scenes I've ever witnessed.
It's not all bad though. The first act is top-notch. I didn't care about any trite platitudes that reek of a first-draft script because Fishburne and Neeson lifted it out of the gutter and gave it heart. The musical compositions were grand and epic with a strong orchestral focus; worthy of a cross-country adventure-thriller. The cinematography was right where it needed to be; lots of panning wide shots with gorgeous landscapes, and closeups for the tense action scenes (despite my seemingly strong hatred of the use of action written into this film, there is an exceptional scene with some drifting trucks that looked and felt amazing to watch).
There was an opportunity for a tense dramatic thriller in The Ice Road, but the opportunity was squandered to make way for a more mainstream and accessible action flick. It ends up being above average, but that's a discouraging endpoint for a film that starts off so well.
When a self-destructive teenager is suspended from school and asked to look after his feisty alcoholic grandmother as a punishment, the crazy time they spend together turns his life around.
The New Zealand film industry is churning out some movies that really tug on the heartstrings; really emotional pieces. Juniper itself is quite a timely film given the recent success of the Euthanasia Referendum in the most recent election and puts forward a kiwi perspective on topics already covered by such films as Blackbird and Supernova. A film that we as a country can fully relate to, that puts coming to terms with death and one's own mortality into terms and framing that we can easily understand.
The characters are rather basic but surprisingly well-written by director-writer Matthew Saville, essentially using stereotypes of the absentee father, the alcoholic grandmother, and the rebellious youth, to arrange and orchestrate some solid character development through their interactions. Our two main leads Ruth and Sam (played by Charlotte Rampling and George Ferrier) conflict with each other at many points, in this well-coordinated narrative play; this is not an amateur "one person develops at a time" story (which is as believable as a street fight where the villains attack one at a time in single file), instead we have two dynamic development arcs, that move concurrently in two different directions, clashing as their personality traits switch between complementing and punishing each other.
On the surface, this looks like a wholesome film that has two headstrong people learning to get along, but in reality, the content is much deeper. Juniperis an exploration of abandonment, isolation, loss, depression, guilt, mourning, loss, suicide, and Saville isn't pulling his punches; death is both a source of peace and unrest.
A beautifully mirrored pair of interlinked stories that forces you to look beyond face value. Not every person will tell you how they feel. Bias is everywhere; Motivations and conflict. And one must be open and receptive to have any chance of maintaining control of life. Saville captures the kiwi spirit brilliantly through Ferrier; the crests and troughs that come with our isolated yet passionate compositions, and our veiled inability to open up and express ourselves without excessive alcohol consumption.
The cinematography is well-executed and suits the atmosphere of the film, using only natural light to add authenticity to the already grounded nature of Juniper. There are many scenes we can't even make out the faces and you can barely see the movements, but all adds to the intrigue and genuine sense of the film. With a lot of slow scenes and awkward (or hostile) interactions, the pacing of the film can be quite lethargic and slow. It allows for a lot of quiet times of contemplation, times to think and come to terms with the events occurring.
The palpable and undeniable honesty of Juniper is what makes it hit hard. Whether it's a mother or a grandparent, we have all lost someone at some point, and the interactions and set designs build such an authentic environment, that the audience will not be able to avoid thinking of their own family members being in this situation. This may trigger. Much like in last year's Bellbird, the sense of loss is inescapable. Beautiful, but suppressed.
After being recruited by a group of unconventional thieves, renowned criminal Richard Pace finds himself caught up in an elaborate gold heist that promises to have far-reaching implications on his life and the lives of countless others.
There is something to be said about the art of marketing and the magnetism of recognizable names and faces in the cast list. One look at this film's trailer or poster and it brings the nostalgia flooding back, to the days when Pierce Brosnan was James Bond. Whether you liked his tenure as James Bond or not, the role is evocative and stands out enough to create an expectation and sell tickets when Brosnan returns to the big screen for another film in the heist/spy/secret mission genre. Unfortunately, The Misfitsis as entertaining as a sack of potatoes.
Beyond a reasonably quality appearance in production, there is little to praise about this film from Renny Harlin. The story is structured in a way that attempts to combine the exuberant character introductions of David Ayer's Suicide Squad, with the elaborate heists of the Oceans franchise, and the excessive action of the Fast & Furious franchise, but creates an unequivocal mess when the lifted elements contradict and conflict with one another.
Feeling more like a tickbox exercise than an attempt to tell a well-developed story, The Misfits is a film that revolves around a famous old white man and his attractive young daughter. Also part of the crew is a menagerie of diversity points in the form of ethnic characters that have no charisma, and little effect on the narrative of the story. The film relies on the acceptance that we are watching a group of highly skilled criminals and actually does a reasonable job at introducing them in the first act, but then fails to develop their characters any further, nor provide more than the token convenient opportunity for them to showcase their unique skill (some main characters aren't even lucky enough to be given a skill at all).
Aside from throwing a cavalcade of one-dimensional ethnic caricatures together for a heist, the overall pacing and structure of the film are sorely lacking. Spending over half of the film's runtime trying to recruit a single character who is given no reason to care, and does little to build a connection with the audience. With only the dogma of "stealing from the bad rich people to give to the poor", a belief that is practically abandoned by the end of the film anyway, The Misfitsfails to provide any form of authentic character development, backstory, conflict, or challenges.
With unwanted narration that explains every single turn in the story before it happens, an over-reliance on physical and toilet humour, overly peppy music, and poorly constructed and edited action scenes, The Misfits falls flat at every turn.
It's peculiar how nice the production looks, which would indicate a reasonable budget, and yet every other facet from the script to the editing is poorly conceived and disastrously executed. Reliant solely on the dry British wit of Pierce Brosnan, The Misfits fails to fire, never building up to anything worthy of note. Stuff just happens, and it works out for our team. A film that may have gone down better when I was a teenager in the 2000s when my taste in humour was more juvenile, but coming out in 2021, this film isn't retro and nostalgic, it's already outdated.
During the harrows of WWII, Jo, a young shepherd along with the help of the widow Horcada, helps to smuggle Jewish children across the border from southern France into Spain.
Waiting for Anya is a drama genre war film, based on a real story. The actual content of the film, in which the entire runtime is devoted, is bookended on both sides with another subplot. The sophomore feature film from director, Ben Cookson, has some structure choices that prevent the film from having a full impact, due to the placement of certain elements in the screenplay (co-written with Toby Torlesse). This subplot shares a character with the main story and is a part of the theme of the main plot, but the set-up is poorly constructed in the first act. We are treated to an emotional sequence with no context, and then the plot thread is left dangling. This dangling thread is frequently referred to throughout the film's runtime but to the detriment of the main story, as the payoff occurs after the conclusion of the main arc.
It's an odd choice, to continually refer to something that isn't directly part of the main story arc, as it prevents the audience from fully engaging with the characters in the main story. Viewers are constantly being reminded that the titular character is still yet to arrive and relegates all other occurrences to set-up and development to a pay-off that doesn't meet expectations.
If you strip the book of its dust jacket, however, Waiting for Anya is a wonderfully balanced dramatic story. Never before have my eyes been privy to a war film that involves Nazi Germany but takes a human approach. These German soldiers are not all the irredeemable killers out to slaughter every person that isn't blonde and blue-eyed. They may be on the other side of the war, but they are still people with their own children, family, and friends, following the orders of their government. Thomas Kretschmann is an incredibly empathetic and charismatic choice as the Colonel opposite the cold and menacing Lieutenant Weissman (portrayed by Tómas Lemarquis).
It is this dichotomy within the ranks of the German soldiers that finally humanizes them. To see soldiers and officers that still have a clear understanding of morality ethics but are simply following orders to protect their own lives. Similarly, the hatred and anger that are often portrayed, come from both sides of the conflict putting forward a diverse mix of personality types; there is no black and white or good and bad, in war.
From a visual sense, the film is adequate. There are several moments where it is incredibly obvious that the actors are standing in front of a computer-generated background (usually during the dialogue scenes in the mountains. It does stand out and can take you out of what is otherwise a very engaging and authentic film. The performance from the Noah Schnapp (who plays Jo) is well-executed as a young actor. Smart, resourceful, and curious enough with the need for precociousness and overexcitement.
Simply put, the choice in title creates somewhat of a red herring and misdirection as to the narrative direction of the film. One expects Anya to have a greater significance is Waiting for Anya, but this is Jo's story of balancing friendships, evaluating trust, and being able to see the good in people, no matter the uniform that they wear.
Inspired by true events from the spring of 1944 when the Nazis organized a football match between a team of camp inmates and an elite Nazi team on Adolf Hitler’s birthday. A match the prisoners are determined to win, no matter what happens.
We all love a good underdog story, and what better underdog story is there than a sports game between those who have been imprisoned against their will in concentration camps and those who oppressed them and are living in the lap of luxury? Like a sports movie on steroids, the potential impact that The Matchholds is impressive. What we end up with, in the end, is good but still falls below its potential.
The successful underdog sports films will usually have a team of misfits with no skills led by a single talented player, who through teamwork, hard work, and good tactics are able to overcome the obstacle of a superior team. The Match, unfortunately, fails to properly develop the entire sport that the movie bases itself around. The game choreography is poorly constructed and the training is haphazard and uncontrolled. It means the major plot device in the film lacks any form of skills build-up and challenges to overcome. We find talented players right off the bat, we are not shown their weaknesses or strengths, and we are not shown them grow as a team. The whole team is practically non-existent unless our main character Laszlo Horvath (portrayed by Andrej Dojkic) is in the same scene.
It's an unfortunate turn of events that has led to directors Dominik and Jakov Sedlar not placing focus on the team and their soccer practices, instead, putting all focus on Laszlo. Dojkic does a superb job at portraying the overconfident, selfish football star, a character narcissistic enough to not care about others enough to follow rules or keep his mouth shut. An exceptional rendition of a talented man whose popularity has shaped his personality, but in the situation of building teamwork and sportsmanship, the personality is not that of someone the audience can easily empathize with.
Sedlar attempts to gain sympathy with a few actions, but overall, the script lacks genuine emotion. We are shown a "work camp" where prisoners can leisurely work, and pause to stop and talk to each other. A place where letters can be sent, and where prisoners can make threats and demands to their wardens. It all reduces the reality of them being underdogs. Food withheld from them? They just grin and bear it. Need a practice area? Let's smile and sing and build an entire clubroom from scratch. There is no sense of struggle. No sense of conflict. And no real sense of what experience these men are trying to escape from.
It all culminates in a final act that lacks emotion and tension. The choreography is so poorly constructed and edited with quick cuts and slow-motion scenes that the viewer cannot understand the geography of the plays. There are no complicated plays, we never get to see any individuality from the opposition. Our protagonists are simply kicking a ball on a field with faceless opponents. The production sets are adequate, but Laszlo might as well be playing football around a bunch of cardboard cutouts.
There are attempts to create emotion but the script lacks depth, leaving the characters to feel like empty shells that must explain their feelings and motives via expositional dialogue, forced to play a sport that they are (in real-life) not great at. Perhaps it would be better to remember the events through Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine's 1981 version, Victory; a film that actually used football players in the film to play football.
The Match is part of the NZ Jewish International Film Festival from the 22nd of July to the 15th of August
In 1933 in Berlin. Anna is only nine years old when her life changes from the ground up. To escape the Nazis, her father Arthur Kemper, a well-known Jewish journalist, has to flee to Zurich. His family, Anna, her twelve-year-old brother Max and her mother Dorothea follow him shortly thereafter. Anna has to leave everything behind, including her beloved pink rabbit, and face a new life full of challenges and privations abroad.
Films based on the Jewish-Nazi confrontations, or just Nazi Germany in general, are very easy films to build drama and tension in. Like most war films, the life-or-death conflict quickly builds empathy from the audience towards the protagonists that are fighting for their life. Simply put, Nazi Germany has been so effectively demonized that even a hint of a swastika, or mention of Hitler or the Nazis, and history instantly fills in the necessary character development of the antagonists.
I mention this as it is the one thing that is clearly missing from When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. The story attempts to come from the perspective of a child, which would bring a unique perspective to the genre of film, however, the events of the film are so separated from the goings-on of the war, that the film entirely lacks any form of tension or suspense.
At no point does it actually feel like the family that we are following is ever in any danger. We move from Germany to Switzerland, France, and beyond, and yet the external forces that are causing them to constantly uproot themselves and live a refugee life are nowhere to be seen. They are mentioned in passing conversations, but the threat is never properly seen. Ironic, considering the original autobiography was written due to the misconception that real life was like The Sound of Music, while the film adaptation that comes from it is in reality far tamer.
To truly appreciate When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, it is near-necessary to separate the Nazi backstory, to recalibrate expectations. This is the story of a political writer who has gotten on the wrong side of a powerful person, whose persistence in speaking out about said person leads to him being unable to find work and having to relocate his family to foreign countries in an attempt to earn a living. This is not a story about Hitler and the Nazis, this is a story about a refugee family, and the effects of abandoning their home on the children, moving from upper-class Germany to rural Switzerland, and peasanthood in France.
Portraying such a significant upheaval through the eyes of a child (whose hardest decision has been whether to take a stuffed toy rabbit or stuffed toy dog with her) was a unique opportunity to highlight how the same events can be perceived differently by an innocent, naive child. The frantic nature of potentially getting lost in a new town, the frustration and fear of being thrown into an environment where nobody speaks your language, the knowledge that somebody is offering money for capturing her father, the feeling of loss from leaving your nanny and all of your belongings behind. There are many scenarios that could revitalize the war genre, but director Caroline Link instead places a surprising amount of focus on the adults. A perspective that we already know and understand well enough.
As an adventure story, young Anna Kemper and her brother travelling around the world with minimal money, relying on the kindness of others, is a delightful story of the adaptability of young children. Learning to speak two new languages across the span of a couple of years, and experiencing wealth to poverty, it's the positivity and pluck of young Anna Kemper that carries the film. Riva Krymalowski and Marinus Hohmann do a superb job as the young Kemper children, building that empathetic bond with the audience through calmly delivered dialogue and actions.
The film captures that feeling of longing and wants; wanting their friends, their nanny, their toys, their first edition books, their respect, and their integrity. As the film progresses and their priorities begin to change, their wants and longing become much more simple; a consistent home, a taste of meat, to be together. It's a family dynamic that works very well with behaviours, mannerisms, and outbursts that feel authentic.
There is a simple delight to When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, and as long as you go in with the right expectations, there is a humanizing story of what being a refugee can mean. In a day and age where refugees are looked down upon, ignored, or rejected from society, it is films like this that are important to remind us that the overwhelming majority of people who exist today are where they are because of ancestors who were refugees, and that refugees are people that deserve the same dignity and rights that the rest of us have.
This is not another Jojo Rabbit, nor is it anything that would resemble action or thriller territory. But When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is a pleasant reminder that there are other consequences beyond life and death when considering war.
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is part of the NZ Jewish International Film Festival from the 22nd of July to the 15th of August
