Home Kills

Great flick, loved the pacing. Had me both leaning in on the edge of my seat and having to look away. The beautiful NZ landscape as a canvas for an increasingly morbid story with each new twist ramping up the tension. Lots of layers with the son and the dad, husband and wife, two brothers, an aspiring and lovable yet inept cop, and you aren't quite sure who to root for. One of the best high quality on budget NZ cinema I have seen.

For such an absurd premise, the movie makes it believable and doesn't trivialise it through slapstick. Humour comes in the natural NZ perspective rather than forced and unrealistic pratfalls. You are thinking "I can't believe he is doing that", not "there is no way he would do that". You are with the characters every step of the way, as much as you want to run away.

Well done. More please.

A darkly original plot in the best New Zealand film for years. Before I retired, I reviewed movies during the heydays of videotape for the local paper. After having seen so many movies it's great to see an original storyline inhabited by credible characters. The actors' low key delivery combines with the cinematography that captures the unique New Zealand scenery - some places familiar where I grew up. Effective dialogue, scripting and editing show cases a film that engrosses the viewer as the plot unfolds with a twist. Like the Paris Olympics results this film punches above its weight. A Gold medal goes to Home Kills.

Home Kills is a darkly funny, quietly gripping rural thriller that captures so much of what makes New Zealand storytelling great. The characters feel lived-in and real, the dialogue crackles with understated humour, and the film leans into its Kiwi identity without ever feeling forced. I loved its dry wit, atmospheric setting, and the authenticity of small-town life-equal parts ordinary and unsettling.

I saw this film in our local independent cinema. It's a real shame this didn't reach a wider audience. Films like this deserve to be seen well beyond our borders. Clever, grounded, and surprisingly tense-Home Kills is a gem.

What a great watch. Mix of black humour and thriller. Made me think of old New Zealand films like Smash Palace, mixed with a bit of Tarantino and a smidge of Peter Jackson. The awesome Waikato rural scenery gave the film an earthy vibe.

Note that the themes are dark and there is quite a lot of swearing.

The story is quick to get started and holds your attention. I was never quite sure what was going to happen next. The characters are very likeable and the acting was very good. The group I went to see it with were buzzing after it which is the sign of a good film. If you get a chance go and see it. It seems like it is at a few film festivals around.

Went to see this film in Randwick, Sydney. Great evening. Thoroughly enjoyed the film altho as an older person the language wasn't to my taste. It was really hilarious in parts and the NZ scenery was spectacular. I grew up in that countryside so was familiar with the area. The cameraman did a fantastic job. I enjoyed the diversity of the actors and got a surprise when Stefan Denis appeared. Its great to see New Zealand movies like this in the cinema, but be warned there are some gross bits though not in the way you might imagine. The sets were sensational as the film takes you on a tour through the dilapidated country farms of New Zealand. Kiwis will love this, but Australians in the cinema seemed to enjoy it too.