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Samuel Van Grinsven’s Went Up the Hill is characterized by a starkly precise aesthetic and withholding approach to the ghost story. Upon arriving at a funeral service for Elizabeth, a woman he claims was his mother, Jack (Dacre Montgomery) listens as the eulogist describes “Elizabeth’s own creation” and notes that she’s survived by her wife, Jill (Vicky Krieps). In a quiet exchange with Elizabeth’s sister (Sarah Peirse), Jack says that he was invited by Jill, only for Jill to deny knowing him at all. Moments later, she insists, “I want him to stay.” It’s a reversal of feeling that’s emblematic of a film where disorientation is rife.

Elizabeth’s absence shapes the story as much as any living character. Like the unseen first Mrs. de Winter in Rebecca, she’s a destabilizing force, collapsing the boundaries between the familial and the romantic. Jack’s boyfriend remains back home,...

"She's not gone... she spoke to me too last night." Greenwich Entertainment has unveiled the first official trailer for Went Up the Hill, an intriguing ghost story film from New Zealand. This initially premiered at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival last year, and will be released in limited theaters this summer in the US. The second feature made by Kiwi director Samuel Van Grinsven, also of Sequin in a Blue Room before this. Jack ventures to remote New Zealand for the funeral of his estranged mother and meets her widow Jill. But his mother's spirit returns to inhabit each of their bodies – instigating a life-threatening three-way nocturnal dance. Went Up the Hill is a psychological drama is inspired by writer / director Samuel Van Grinsven's own memories of his childhood in New Zealand’s South Island. An intimate, modern ghost story that explores the extremities of grief in our pursuit of letting go.

“Phantom Thread” star Vicky Krieps is deepening her onscreen presence with a haunting ghost story, “Went Up the Hill.” Titled after the nursery song (the lead characters are Jack and Jill), the feature centers on Krieps’ character, who for the first time meets her stepson after Krieps loses her wife to suicide. In her grief, the two each become possessed by the spirit of Krieps’ dead wife.

The intense trailer, which you can watch below, sums up the premise with the tagline, “Three Souls. Two Bodies.” The official synopsis reads: “Abandoned as a child, Jack (Dacre Montgomery) travels to remote New Zealand to attend the funeral of his estranged mother Elizabeth. There he meets her widow, Jill (Krieps), who has questions of her own. Over the nights that follow, Elizabeth returns and possesses Jack and Jill, using each of their bodies to speak to the other. Jill faces Elizabeth’s suicide,...

Judd Apatow is the first guest curator at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, overseeing a new comedy film exhibition focused on celebrating the genre and its filmmakers. Apatow’s new position was announced during the Academy Museum’s 20th celebration and screening of his feature debut “The 40-Year-Old-Virgin,” which featured a conversation between Apatow, Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Jane Lynch, Gerry Bednob, and Kat Dennings in the museum’s David Geffen Theater.

Apatow’s currently untitled exhibition is slated for April 2027, and will mark the Academy Museum’s first exhibition dedicated to the art of comedy in film. “We’re thrilled to announce that our first guest curator at the Academy Museum is none other than the hilarious and brilliant Judd Apatow,” said Academy Museum director and president Amy Homma in a statement. “Judd’s comedies have shaped entertainment and culture, and we know his expertise, appreciation, and love...

“Addition” isn’t so much Will-They-Won’t-They as They-Did-So-What-Now?

That’s familiar territory for plenty of people coping with mental illness in their intimate relationships and a strong subject for director Marcelle Lunam’s charming feature debut. This seriocomic romance is an imperfect meet-cute about living and dating with high-functioning anxiety that won’t work for everyone but may prove essential to the right audience. With a colorful snapshot of a complex narrator, screenwriter Becca Johnstone pulls fresh feeling from author Toni Jordan’s well-celebrated 2008 novel for this winsome movie, which recently premiered at TIFF.

Grace Vandenburg (Teresa Palmer) is a 34-year-old mathematician who is clearly dealing with something when we find her diligently counting produce in the grocery store. After Grace meets the kind and dashing Seamus (Joe Dempsie) at checkout — stealing one of his bananas to make sure she’s buying an even ten — sparks erupt between the...

Went Up the Hill is a different kind of ghost story. It haunts its characters physically and psychologically, forcing them to face their trauma. The film, directed by Samuel Van Grinsven, who co-wrote it with Jory Anast, looks at generational trauma with nuance and asks if it can indeed be stopped. The characters at its center Jack (Stranger Things Dacre Montgomery) and Jill (Vicky Krieps) are dealing with the death of a loved one, but the story is just as much about grief as it is about abuse.

Went Up the Hill

Director Samuel Van GrinsvenRelease Date September 6, 2024Writers Jory Anast, Samuel Van GrinsvenCast Arlo Green, Vicky Kreps, Sarah Peirse, Dacre MontgomeryRuntime 100 MinutesGenres Drama, Thriller

Went Up the Hill captures all that and more in a chilling film filled with plenty of emotional depth and strange occurrences, like a warped ghost sex scene that is one of the most uncomfortable Ive seen onscreen.

The AMC Networks September 2024 schedule has been announced. It includes the long-awaited return of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol, starring Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride, as well as the thrilling conclusion of the dystopian series Snowpiercer, starring Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly and Grammy and Tony Award-winner Daveed Diggs, both available exclusively on AMC and AMC+.

The month also features several season finales, including Sundance Now’s provocative tennis drama Fifteen-Love, starring Aidan Turner (Poldark), Acorn TV’s romantic dramedy Under the Vines, and Allblk’s breakout drama Kold x Windy, among other new series, films and specials across its suite of targeted streaming services, including AMC+’s inaugural “Mob Month” featuring new original limited series The Tailor of Sin City.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol

All September, AMC+ offers its “Countdown to FearFest” collection of iconic horror classics, priming fans for AMC’s annual “FearFest” celebration.

Acorn TV has announced the titles that will be available on the AMC-owned streaming service in September 2024. The Acorn TV September 2024 slate adds to the service’s various acclaimed English and foreign-language dramas, engaging comedies, documentaries, and more.

The September schedule includes new episodes of Under the Vines Season 3, Candice Renoir Season 10, The Long Shadow, and more.

Under the Vines Season 3 Acorn TV September 2024 Highlights

Under the Vines Season 3 (Acorn TV Original Series) – New Episodes Premiere Every Monday Until the Season Finale on September 16

Former Sydney socialite Daisy Monroe (Rebecca Gibney) and ex-London lawyer Louis Oakley (Charles Edwards) continue to run a small vineyard in New Zealand while navigating their complicated love lives. Six months after we last saw them, Daisy and Louis are trying to oust William, the mysterious stranger who arrived at the end of season two claiming half of Oakley.

But it seems the annoying shanty...

For fans of the New Zealand comedy-drama series Under the Vines, Acorn TV has delightful news! The network has finally announced the premiere date for the shows third season, which was reported to be in development in October 2023. Acorn TV has also unveiled a must-watch trailer as well ahead of the upcoming installments arrival next month. The show stars Rebecca Gibney as Daisy Monroe, Charles Edwards as Louis Oakley, Sarah Peirse as Marissa, Trae Te Wiki as Tippy, Simon Mead as Gus, Cohen Holloway as Vic and Carrie Green as Nic.

The AMC Networks August 2024 schedule has been announced. It includes new episodes of Snowpiercer Season 4 and Orphan Black: Echoes, both available on AMC and AMC+.

Sundance Now offers an impressive lineup of thrillers including the provocative new tennis drama Fifteen-Love, starring Aidan Turner (Poldark), a new season of hit Nordic noir Wisting, and the new two-part special Kennedy, Sinatra, and the Mafia. Meanwhile, Acorn TV offers new installments of fan-favorite international series Signora Volpe and Under the Vines.

Other highlights include new episodes of BBC America’s landmark nature series Planet Earth: Mammals, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, and the highly-anticipated second season of Allblk’s breakout drama Kold x Windy, among other new series, films, and specials across its suite of targeted streaming services.

Film highlights this month include the sequel to IFC Films’ 2020 hit thriller Force of Nature: The Dry 2, starring Eric Bana (Dirty John) and Anna Torv (Fringe); Ghostlight,...

Acorn TV has announced the titles that will be available on the AMC-owned streaming service in August 2024. The Acorn TV August 2024 slate adds to the service’s various acclaimed English and foreign-language dramas, engaging comedies, documentaries, and more.

The August schedule includes Under the Vines Season 3, new Signora Volpe Season 2 episodes, and The Sommerdahl Murders Season 5.

Signora Volpe Season 3 Acorn TV August 2024 Highlights

Under the Vines Season 3 (Acorn TV Original Series) – New Season Premieres on Monday, August 19

Former Sydney socialite Daisy Monroe (Rebecca Gibney) and ex-London lawyer Louis Oakley (Charles Edwards) continue to run a small vineyard in New Zealand while navigating their complicated love lives. Six months on from when we last saw them, Daisy and Louis are trying to oust William, the mysterious stranger who arrived at the end of season two claiming half of Oakley.

But it seems the annoying shanty-singer’s claim might be legitimate,...

Winslet's career is defined by taking on challenging and interesting roles that showcase her intense commitment and powerful onscreen charisma. From her debut in Heavenly Creatures to her Oscar-winning performance in The Reader, Winslet consistently impresses with her talent and dedication. While she may be best known for Titanic, Winslet's diverse filmography proves her range and ability to excel in a variety of genres and roles.

The extraordinary career of Kate Winslet has included countless acclaimed roles over the past 30 years. As an Academy Award-winning actor who has excelled across many genres, including roles in comedies, period dramas, and romantic science fiction, Winslets intense commitment and powerful onscreen charisma have solidified her reputation as among the best performers of her generation. From her acclaimed acting debut in 1994 right up until today, Winslet has consistently sought challenging, experimental, and interesting movies that have defined her unmatched career.

While many viewers may...

Rebecca Gibney and Charles Edwards are going back Under the Vines, with Acorn TV and Tvnz co-commissioning a third season of the Perpetual Entertainment and Libertine Pictures series. Production is underway in Nz, with all of the main cast returning, including Sarah Peirse, John Bach, Trae Te Wiki and Simon Mead. The third instalment picks up six months since audiences last saw the Oakley family. Desperate to regain their former standing as the ‘sole’ mutual heirs of Oakley, Daisy and...

The post Acorn TV and Tvnz order third season of ‘Under the Vines’ appeared first on If Magazine.

Exclusive: Acorn TV is going Under the Vines for a third time.

The lighthearted comedy shot in New Zealand is returning for a third season with leads Rebecca Gibney (Wanted, Packed to the Rafters, Halifax: Retribution) and Charles Edwards (Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Crown, Downton Abbey) again attached. You can see a start-of-production shot above.

Also returning are Charles Edwards, Sarah Peirse, John Bach, Trae Te Wiki and Simon Mead.

Synopsis reads: “It’s been a tumultuous six months since we last saw our Oakley family, and much is afoot. Desperate to regain their former standing as the ‘sole’ mutual heirs of Oakley, Daisy and Louis will need to work together to try and oust William in any way they can.”

Erin White is directing Episodes 1-3, with Laurence Wilson on Episodes 4-6. Kelly Lefever, Erin White, Nick Ward, Kathryn Burnett, Harry McNaughton, and Steph Matuku are the writers

Gibney,...

Under the Vines blends comedy and drama, investing time in character development and engaging individual episodes while exploring the trials and tribulations of the wine business. Season 2 of the series tackles more than its predecessor, allowing for emotional development among the growing cast and leaving storytelling possibilities open for future seasons. Each episode of Under the Vines season 2 introduces new challenges and developments, from crumbling relationships to vineyard crises, offering a variety of engaging storylines that keep viewers hooked.

The New Zealand-based dramedy Under the Vines thrilled during its first season, and the Acorn TV exclusive was given a second in 2023. The series concerns two estranged half-cousins, Daisy (Rebecca Gibney) and Louis (Charles Edwards) who suddenly find themselves the co-owners of Oakley Wines in rural New Zealand. Playing off of the typical fish-out-of-water premise, Under the Vines invests most of its time into the characters who crackle with life despite their rather cartoonish predicaments.

Competition

Universal Pictures‘ “Jurassic World Dominion” stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard have launched a competition for young U.K. fans of the dino franchise to design a British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) black card. The black card is the card that has the film’s rating and BBFC approval for cinematic screenings.

“This is your moment to put your mark on a piece of film history 65 million years in the making,” Pratt says in a short video released to accompany the competition launch while Howard suggests: “Get as creative as you want.”

As well as seeing their design on the big screen, the winner will also get a goody bag, a framed copy of the black card and the chance to take three people to a special screening of their film. The winning design will be shown before all screenings of “Jurassic World Dominion” which opens in the U.

Continuing its strong relationship with top-notch Australian drama series, London-based Dcd Rights has acquired for international distribution the anticipated high-end series “Love Me,” starring Hugo Weaving.

The first drama series to enter production for Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia, “Love Me” also marks its first project for Australian SVOD service Binge, launched in May last year by the Foxtel Group.

News of the “Love Me” acquisition comes as Dcd Rights has pre-sold has season two of the “The Secrets She Keeps” to AMC Networks’ streaming service Sundance Now in the U.S. and Canada and BBC One and iPlayer in the U.K. The series is produced by Sydney-based Lingo Pictures Production for Paramount Plus.

Enjoying major production investment from Screen Australia and financed with support from Film Victoria, “Love Me” is now in production.

The six-hour romantic drama turns on how love can appear at the most inconvenient of times,...

Foxtel has made its first commission specifically for streaming service Binge: six-part drama Love Me from Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia.

Currently shooting across Melbourne and regional Victoria, the adaptation of Swedish series Älska mig looks at modern love experienced by different family members at three distinct times of life.

Leading the cast is Hugo Weaving, acting alongside his co-star in The Tourist, Shalom Brune-Franklin, as well as Bojana Novakovic, Bob Morley, Heather Mitchell, Sarah Peirse, Celia Pacquola, William Lodder, and Mitzi Ruhlmann.

The series marks Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia’s first TV drama production, to be made in association with Aquarius Films. Emma Freeman will direct, while Alison Bell is the lead writer with Leon Ford, Adele Vuko and Blake Ayshford.

Aquarius’ Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford produce, with WB’s Michael Brooks and Hamish Lewis executive producing. Foxtel Group EPs are Brian Walsh, Alison Hurbert-Burns and Lana Greenhalgh.

Hugo Weaving heads the diverse cast of “Love Me,” a romantic drama series that is now in production in Melbourne, Australia.

The show explores modern love as experienced by different family members at different stages of life. It is adapted from the Swedish series “Älska Mig,” created by Josephine Bornebusch.

To be presented as a six-part series with 43-minute episodes, the show is directed by celebrated Australian director Emma Freeman with lead writer Alison Bell, and writers Leon Ford, Adele Vuko and Blake Ayshford.

“Love Me” is a Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia production in association with Aquarius Films for the Foxtel Group’s streaming service Binge. Major production investment came from Screen Australia in association with Film Victoria.

Binge is an SVOD service launched in May last year by Foxtel, the News Corp. Australia and Telstra-owned pay-tv service in Australia. It offers on-demand and live entertainment across the lifestyle,...

Exclusive: AMC Networks streamer Acorn TV has teamed with New Zealand broadcaster Tvnz to commission its latest original — a romantic comedy set on a Kiwi vineyard, led by The Crown star Charles Edwards and Wanted actress Rebecca Gibney.

Libertine Pictures and Eq Media Group will produce six-part series Under The Vines, which follows Edwards and Gibney as two unlikely city slickers who inherit a failing vineyard in rural New Zealand.

Australian TV star Gibney features as Sydney socialite Daisy Munroe, who heads to New Zealand for a vacation at her recently deceased stepfather’s winery, which she intends to sell.

Little does she know that the vineyard has a co-owner: Grumpy UK-born lawyer, Louis Oakley (Edwards), who also travels to New Zealand to escape a spiraling series of unfortunate events in his life.

Despite neither having done a hard days’ work in their lives and both despising each other, Munroe...

Rachel Okine.

Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford’s Aquarius Films has stepped up its feature film and TV drama development slate, collaborating with such creatives as Justine Flynn, Del Kathryn Barton and Huna Amweero, Clementine Ford, Anya Beyersdorf, Roger Monk and Rhys Graham.

The production company gained momentum after hiring former eOne and Hopscotch Features executive Rachel Okine in the newly created role of managing director.

Okine joined in March, just as the pandemic struck. After a pause when, she says, Aquarius’ focus on growth switched to survival mode, the development pace picked up.

The Unusual Suspects, a four-part crime caper for Sbs co-funded by Screen Australia starts pre-production next week. A whodunit set in the Filipino domestic worker community in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, it’s scripted by Jessica Redenbach, Roger Monk (Nowhere Boys) and Vonne Patiag (Halal Gurls).

Parent Up, a Korean/Australian kids spy comedy, is in...

Guy Pearce and Jeffrey Walker.

Guy Pearce is bemused when asked how he will cope when he makes his feature film directing debut on Poor Boy, a paranormal mystery-drama about a man who inhabits a child’s body.

The actor points to the experience he gained from working in 60 films and TV shows and learning from such legendary directors as Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, Curtis Hanson and Todd Haynes.

The qualities he most values are being able to communicate – and staying calm and level-headed.

“I have seen people on sets who are fairly hot-headed and it often doesn’t end well,” Pearce told his close mate Jeffrey Walker, who directed him in Jack Irish, in an Australians in Film webinar today.

Written by Matt Cameron and based on his play of the same name, Poor Boy follows a boy who announces to his family on his seventh birthday that he...

Duncan Fellows and Alison Bell.

Fans of ABC TV’s The Letdown who enjoy watching Duncan Fellows as Jeremy, partner and foil of Alison Bell’s oft-stressed Audrey, can look forward to his next series Fam Time.

Fellows is playing John, aka ‘Handy Andy’, second husband of Michala Banas’ Belinda Box, matriarch of a dysfunctional blended family in the Seven Studios’ narrative comedy.

Created by Michael Horrocks and scripted by Erica Harrison and Jack Yabsley, the sitcom features Benson Jack Anthony as Belinda’s son Rylan, Karina Banno as her step-daughter Tahnee, Chloe De Los Santos as her adopted half-Filipino daughter Cherry, Rhonda Burchmore as grandma Viv and Tainui Tukiwaho as handyman Bill.

While everyone else in the family is obsessed with the online world, Handy Andy prefers fixing and inventing things, although he’s not very good at either.

There are some similarities between the two characters. “Neither is...

Guy Pearce in ‘Jack Irish.’

Aquarius Films’ Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford have taken over as the producers of Guy Pearce’s directorial debut Poor Boy, in which he will also star.

When Screen Australia announced funding for the project in March Wildheart Films’ Al Clark and Andrena Finlay were listed as the producers.

Written by Matt Cameron and based on his play of the same name, the paranormal mystery-drama follows a boy who announces to his family on his seventh birthday that he is a stranger named Danny – a grown man who died seven years earlier.

Clark, who is still attached as an executive producer, tells If his decision to withdraw as producer was “prompted by a fundamental difference of perception. My involvement has changed to reflect this.”

Staniford tells If: “Angie and I are now producing and Al is still involved as an Ep. Happy to chat further...

Exclusive: Poor Boy, the film that will mark Guy Pearce’s directorial debut, is readying for the Toronto Film Festival with cast members and sales agents. The festival takes place this year from Sept. 7 thru Sept. 17. The film, in which Pearce will also star (reprising his stage role), has brought together Frances O'Connor (The Conjuring 2), Richard Roxburgh (Van Helsing), Callan Mulvey (Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice) and Sarah Peirse (The Hobbit). The project is…...

'The Letdown'..

The Letdown was one of six pilots aired last year on the ABC via the broadcaster's and Screen Australia.s Comedy Showroom initiative, and the episode went on to pick up an Aacta Award for Best Screenplay in Television.

Now production is underway on a full six-part series for the ABC and Netflix..

Netflix has international distribution rights, but will also make the series available on its Australian platform after it initially airs on Abctv and iview..

A Giant Dwarf production, created and written by Sarah Scheller and Alison Bell, The Letdown follows a mother.s group thrown together through the circumstance of timing..

"We are thrilled to be working with the ABC and Netflix on a full series of The Letdown. We've learned that making a TV show is actually not unlike motherhood... floods of tears, bursts of love and unhinged hormonal meltdowns - all in the name of comedy,...

Exclusive: La Confidental star will also star in the stage play adaptation.

Guy Pearce is to make his directorial debut with Australian paranormal drama Poor Boy, based on the stage play in which he starred.

The Australian actor, known for roles in La Confidental, Memento and Cannes 2014 title The Rover, will also play the lead in the feature. The cast also includes Frances O’Connor (Mansfield Park, The Missing), Richard Roxburgh (Moulin Rouge!), Callan Mulvey (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) and Sarah Peirse (The Hobbit).

The story centres on a dead man, a young boy and two families mysteriously linked by synchronous events seven years earlier. Production is planned for Melbourne in 2017.

The screenplay is by Matt Cameron, adapted from his stage play created with Crowded House singer-songwriter Tim Finn and performed by the Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company in 2009.

Producer Al Clark, whose credits include The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert and who...

Heavenly Creatures

Directed by Peter Jackson

Written by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh

1994, New Zealand / Germany

In Heavenly Creatures, Peter Jackson establishes the societal isolation of his protagonists right from the beginning. The movie opens with a 1950s documentary concerning the story’s setting, Christchurch, New Zealand. The area is wholesome and idyllic. People ride their bikes down busy streets. Children play in the local park. Vibrant flowers bloom in the springtime sun. Then, just as the documentary’s narrator begins to proclaim that Christchurch is New Zealand’s finest town, the distant sound of screaming is heard. It swells to a terrifying volume.

Jump to Pauline and Juliet (Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet in their extraordinary debut performances) running through a forest, blood dripping down their legs. The quick cut from picturesque small town to horrific reality serves to give the viewer a feeling of displacement. These young girls...

Bryan Brown and Sam Neill will star in Old School, an ABC series in the vein of the BBC comedy-drama New Tricks. Brown will play Ted, a retired cop, with Neill as Lennie, an ex-crim. The odd couple turn sleuth to solve crimes, unravel scams and earn much-needed dosh.

The cast includes Sarah Peirse as Ted.s feisty, sports-mad wife; Hanna Mangan Lawrence as Lennie.s granddaughter Shannon; Mark Coles-Smith as Jason, the mechanic son of one of Lennie.s prison mates; and Damian Walshe-Howling as a charming opportunist who woos Shannon.

The show was created by Paul Oliver and Steve Wright and will be produced by Matchbox Pictures. Helen Panckhurst and exec produced by Tony Ayres and Penny Chapman.

Production of the eight-part series starts in Sydney in June with the directing chores shared by Gregor Jordan (Two Hands, Buffalo Soldiers), Peter Templeman (Not Suitable For Children) and Oliver.

Hitting movie theaters this weekend:

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked - Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol - Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris

Young Adult - Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, Patton Oswalt

Movie of the Week

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

The Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris

The Plot: Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson join forces to outwit and bring down their fiercest adversary, Professor Moriarty.

The Buzz: Guy Ritchie’s career has been effectively side-tracked by the Holmes franchise, and I think that’s a good thing. I hope the trend continues. Downey Jr. and Law make for the perfect pair, and though I was disappointed when I learned, months back, that Daniel Day-Lewis had dropped out as Moriarty, I was pleased to...

With Peter Jackson now the established big-time director of epics, such as Lord of the Rings, King Kong and the upcoming Hobbit films, his 1950s set true crime drama Heavenly Creatures – winner of the Silver Lion at the 1994 Venice Film Festival – feels somehow more intimate and whimsical than ever before. This small town story of two isolated and unhinged teenage girls stars then unknown actresses Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynsky as Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker, who in 1954 brutally murdered Pauline’s mother Honora (Sarah Peirse) after coming to feel that she was the obstacle against their being together forever.

Jackson successfully humanises and even elicits empathy for his naive, escapist protagonists without detracting from the horror of the crime itself, made all the more unpalatable by its basis in reality. The murder, when it comes, is a visceral, upsetting punch in the gut – difficult to watch and heart-breaking as anything.

Our Wednesday night series Hit Me With Your Best Shot resumes on May 4th with David Lynch's Eraserhead (see the May & June schedule here), but tonight we bring you A Very Special Episode.

We knew from Twitter that the actress Melanie Lynskey (Win Win) enjoyed this particular series. After our group gaze at Heavenly Creatures (1994), which happened to be her film debut, she sent us the following note with permission to publish it. How great! Melanie is currently in movie theaters as the troubled mom in Win Win but she's got two more films on the way. She's completed work on Eye of the Hurricane co-starring with Campbell Scott (another underrated actor) and Touchback, a sports fantasy starring Kurt Russell. 

Melanie takes it from here...

"So excited you did a Hit Me With Your Best Shot on "Heavenly Creatures". I loved reading what everyone had to say. I don't...

Seldom has a movie delineated adult melancholy or adolescent anxiety with such acute tenderness as in Christine Jeffs' "Rain", a film from New Zealand based on Kirsty Gunn's 1994 debut novel. This is a film where, on one level, little happens. Yet Jeffs' camera is alert to the subtlest nuances of language, gesture and behavior. "Rain" is a master work in miniature, an unsentimental yet not unsympathetic portrait of a family falling apart in slow motion.

"Rain" could evolve into a must-see in North American art houses. Its major impediment is the unfortunate number of films, both past and present, with the exact same title. While "Rain" is based on a novel by the same name, filmmakers should take more care to select distinctive titles that will eliminate audience confusion.

Anyway, this "Rain" takes place in 1972 on a languid, sparsely populated bay on the east coast of New Zealand, where a family rents a seaside cottage for the long, hot summer. While the film's narrator is the family's 13-year-old daughter Janey (Alicia Fulford-Wierzbicki), in the early throes of exploring the reach and strength of her sexuality, the point of view is not entirely hers.

Jeffs, who adapted Gunn's story, observes things Janey cannot always see or fully understand: the dissolution of her parents' marriage into booze and late-night parties, her mom's (Sarah Peirse) boredom and her dad's (Alistair Browning) inadequacy in dealing with this and, finally, her mom's attraction to a drifter photographer (Marton Csokas) who invites the family to go fishing on his boat.

Janey's closest and constant companion is her kid brother Jim (Aaron Murphy), a wee lad to whom life at the beach is still fun and games. As one indolent day turns into a boozy night followed by another indolent day with hangovers for the adults and restlessness for the children, life slowly oozes out of the family's core. It's almost imperceptible, but it's there, mostly unspoken, and no one knows how to fix the leak.

This is a film of atmosphere and ominous foreboding. You're never certain where the film is going, which is a refreshing change from most movies, whose road maps are clearly marked in advance.

It is Janey's sexuality that drives the movie. Dismissive of a boy her own age, who comes by to court her in a manner that is almost old-fashioned, she becomes, in a sense, her mom's rival for the affections of the nonchalant drifter. When the film finally reaches its climax, the sense of loss of innocence is profound.

Much credit goes to the actors, who create neither heroes nor villains but flawed, flawed people struggling with emotions that overwhelm them. John Toon's atmospheric cinematography and Paul Maxwell's unhurried editing add to the slow, excruciating build to a tragedy. The only negative is the constant use of rock/pop songs on the soundtrack, which distracts from the mood and wary anticipation of a calamity to come.

RAIN

Fireworks Pictures

Rose Road and Communicado

Credits:

Writer-director Christine Jeffs

Based on the novel by: Kirsty Gunn

Producer: Philippa Campbell

Executive producer: Robin Scholes

Director of photography: John Toon

Music: Neil Finn, Edmund McWilliams

Costume designer: Kirsty Cameron

Editor: Paul Maxwell

Cast:

Janey: Alicia Fulford-Wierzbicki

Kate: Sarah Peirse

Cady: Marton Csokas

Ed: Alistair Browning

Jim: Aaron Murphy.

No MPAA rating

Running time -- 92 minutes...