Snakeskin

I loved this film so much I've seen it several times, and with each viewing am rewarded with another layer of story telling, symbolism, character development and references to Kiwiana - & NZ v USA culture.

On first viewing it's a twisty road trip with lashings of humour and a sci fi flavour, but subsequent viewings reveal a much darker story and complicated characters - once you recognise clues delivered in short sequences, or understand that throwaway lines are crucial to the story.

Cinematically it's an eye popping feast of vast landscapes and gorgeous lush scenery, but it's the dark twisty story which satisfies the most. Melanie Lynskey as Alice blew me away in her first sexy lead role rather than as the usual "suburban friend" she gets cast as; even Dean O'Gormon surprised as I'd only ever seen him acting in a soap before.

The soundtrack deserves special mention - especially the mood inducing soundscapes as the road trip progresses.

Overall this is a classic NZ film which will affect an entire generation of New Zealanders as Goodbye Pork Pie did in the 70s. Well worth a look.

I'm getting tired of NZ films like this. They have poor stories, the scripted dialogue is ridiculous and they are badly acted. Six years on and this type of NZ film is still being made. How did the Australians make the giant leap into quality film and somehow the Kiwis are still fumbling around like a High School Play Group? This film reeks of the liberal ideas and attitudes that are coming to a close in NZ. The story is desperate to attack traditional NZ culture and values, yet instead of actually telling the truth -which would do it better- they present common ignorant liberal assumptions.

There is so much kitschy rubbish throughout it: scenes constructed from what the filmmaker must imagine rural NZ is like instead of what it actually is. It gives the impression that NZ culture is stuck on top of the people like a cheap plastic toy on the dashboard of a car. If you live in NZ or are familiar with it's people you'll laugh at some of the sanitised characterisations.

Why was it even necessary to drift off into sci-fi? Is the truth really that hard to face? Or is it because the filmmaker really had nothing to say outside of proclaiming they, personally, imagine themselves to be "badass."

It's a bit stunning to watch a film made in New Zealand, by New Zealanders, and not want to cringe. This is a fantastic piece of work. Kudos to the production team - when I think "road movie" made with a measly NZ budget I shudder to think of the result, especially when shot in a lightning fast 28 days. Yet this film looks like it cost three or four times as much to make. The visuals are stunning, and its cinematography award was well deserved. The story takes a nice big swipe and New Zealanders and their obsession with the USA. It may look on the surface to be your average american road film, and therefore a bit of a typical, stolen idea... but in truth this story rings sound as a uniquely New Zealand piece of work. It immediately promises to get quite dark... and then does... slowly sliding its way into that grim genre that New Zealand has created for itself that Sam Neill dubbed the "Cinema of Unease". This is a great New Zealand film, but better still, it's just a great film full stop. Great work to Gillian and Vanessa and all their team.

As the film opens there is a song playing, the lyrics are something along the lines of "there's a dust cloud out there, and its bigger than Texas.." I have searched high and low for what this song is and who sings it on the internet but to no avail. If anyone has the slightest idea about it I would really appreciate it if you let me know. It plays just before Melanie Lynsky starts narrating and listing her heroes, various movie characters including Thelma and Louise. I think the lyrics in the song represent her desire for the adventure she has always lived for which is about to finally happen to her, though she doesn't yet know it. What is before her is elusive and hidden, behind a giant dust cloud. Lol even if you just liked the song as well I'd love to know i'm not alone and the song actually does exist!

I was not surprised when i saw the rating because i always viewed Snakeskin as a film that you have to watch multiple times in order to understand. The first time i watched it, i really liked how the story built up the characters in the first half of the movie, while the second half left me with a lot of question marks. Although, when i watched it for the third time, i really grasped the symbolism and profound thoughts presented in the third act.

Snakeskin starts off as a fun action film, but then it turns into a thriller with very suspenseful scenes in claustrophobical environments. I also liked how the director chose to have all the minor characters shown in previous scenes, reappear later on to show that everyone is heading in the same direction. The music is really well chosen, the landscapes shown in both day and night scenes are really beautiful, and the actors, especially Oliver Driver, give the film an even higher level. I definitely recommend watching it, but as i previously said, you need to watch it multiple times in order to understand it.