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Vigil

  • 1984
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
950
YOUR RATING
Vigil (1984)
DramaMystery

A lonely girl living on an isolated, mist-cloaked farm is confronted with the changes wrought by a stranger that arrives.A lonely girl living on an isolated, mist-cloaked farm is confronted with the changes wrought by a stranger that arrives.A lonely girl living on an isolated, mist-cloaked farm is confronted with the changes wrought by a stranger that arrives.

  • Director
    • Vincent Ward
  • Writers
    • Vincent Ward
    • Graeme Tetley
    • Fiona Lindsay
  • Stars
    • Penelope Stewart
    • Frank Whitten
    • Bill Kerr
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    950
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Vincent Ward
    • Writers
      • Vincent Ward
      • Graeme Tetley
      • Fiona Lindsay
    • Stars
      • Penelope Stewart
      • Frank Whitten
      • Bill Kerr
    • 15User reviews
    • 12Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 2 nominations total

    Photos41

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    Top cast19

    Edit
    Penelope Stewart
    • Elizabeth Peers
    Frank Whitten
    Frank Whitten
    • Ethan Ruir
    Bill Kerr
    Bill Kerr
    • Birdie
    Fiona Kay
    • Lisa Peers (Toss)
    Gordon Shields
    • Justin Peers
    Arthur Sutton
    Bob Morrison
    Snow Turner
    Lloyd Grundy
    Bill Liddy
    Joseph Ritai
    Maurice Trewern
    Josie Herlihy
    Eric Griffin
    Sadie Marriner
    Emily Haupapa
    Bill Brocklehurst
    Debbie Newton
    • Director
      • Vincent Ward
    • Writers
      • Vincent Ward
      • Graeme Tetley
      • Fiona Lindsay
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews15

    6.8950
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    10

    Featured reviews

    9PaulGJackson

    Beautifully rendered

    Well this film is hard to categorize, but let's just say it is filled with gorgeous and wondrous textures and images. The stark scenery is brilliantly captured by the camera here.

    Classic Vincent Ward palette of delectable images and haunting music. - Bravo!
    10Citizenkenn_1-1

    Recently seen the movie

    At the starting scene of the movie, I did not know what to expect..as I continued to watching..I began to drawn to each character in their own way in the movie as in the connection between the mother, the grandfather, the poacher (the stranger).All together in one. But the real star in the story is TOSS- the little girl who witness her father's death. Throughout the whole movie, one begin to see how she is coping by her father's departure and somewhat feel alienated she wore an hawk-like hat to cover her face from the rest of the world ..and coming of age to discover who she really is and most of all the value of her womanhood.

    The movie is a bit slow but it has a nice background based on its time, kinda bluish-gray mixing with different weathers during the scenes which made it magnificent and captivating to watch..Don't expect drama or actions..This movie is somewhat for the innocent. Just a feel-good movie. Go your nearest store; buy or rent it. You will enjoy it..
    8A_FORTY_SEVEN

    Childhood captured with brilliance.

    My Rating : 8/10

    'Beans up your...'

    'Vigil' is about a lonely young girl living with her family on an isolated, mist-cloaked farm and the disturbing realities she faces along the way.

    Beautiful, funny and grand - don't be fooled by it's minimalist settings but try and look for the primal feelings of childhood which is captured so wonderfully.

    Highly recommended.
    7briancham1994

    Slow and ponderous

    This film is a portrayal of a lonely and isolated childhood. It really has a dreary feel with all the darkness and fog. It is good at setting a tone of uncertainty and foreboding.
    7mjneu59

    an obscure story, gorgeously rendered

    A young girl comes of age on a remote New Zealand farm, isolated deep inside a beautiful but forbidding landscape of windswept forests and mountains. Be forewarned: the film is no picturesque fable of adolescent angst, but a brooding, dreamlike story that occasionally slips into eerie, portentous lyricism. Shot in luminous verdant tones, the surrounding terrain is allowed to determine (some might say overwhelm) the scenario, putting it at the mercy of the impassive power of nature. Character and story development are nominal: after her father dies falling off a cliff, the young heroine watches a menacing, mysterious poacher arrive to help her widowed mother and crackpot grandfather, with his unexpected presence adding a subdued current of muted violence and sexuality to the already troubled household. It's a dark, claustrophobic little film, dramatically taciturn but visually impressive.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      First ever film from New Zealand to be selected to screen in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
    • Quotes

      Ethan Ruir: What are you after?

      Elizabeth Peers: I want you to keep your hands off my daughter.

    • Connections
      Featured in Century of Cinema: Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill (1995)

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    FAQ17

    • How long is Vigil?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 15, 1986 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • New Zealand
    • Official sites
      • Hanway Films
      • Official New Zealand Film Study Guide - Vers 1.0
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Vigil - Zeit der Stürme
    • Filming locations
      • New Zealand
    • Production companies
      • John Maynard Productions
      • Film Investment Corporation of New Zealand
      • New Zealand Film Commission
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 30m(90 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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