As usual, critics and film festivals have found yet another generic "inspirational" story to slobber over. The film takes one of the must cliched plots in history (girl overcoming what men think she can't) and layers it with flat dialogue and cardboard cut-out characters. All the events in the film are purposely put there to force either sympathy or hope on the audience, and thus loses all real emotional value. You may connect with the film, but I could not because I've seen this story before over and over with a different title each time. I knew all the events that were going to happen and how each character would react. It's writing in its most elementary state. A bad screenplay is the film's crippling element. It is sad, because the film does contain good things. Yes, the cinematography is just beautiful, perfectly capturing the natural beauty of New Zealand. And the acting was phenomenal as well. Keisha Castle-Hughes provides an a captivating performance, all the more impressive given her age and the flaccid material she had to work with. The supporting cast is also rounded nicely, and it was nice to see Cliff Curtis do something other than a villain.
Still, this is a movie that should be on TV and not in the art houses. It had all the ingredients of a good movie except the most vital: a good screenplay.
4/10
Still, this is a movie that should be on TV and not in the art houses. It had all the ingredients of a good movie except the most vital: a good screenplay.
4/10