The Rehearsal

New Zealanders often experience cultural cringe, and a film like this is likely to go under their radar. Which is a shame because this really is actually a good film, even if it is set in Auckland. And I don't even mean 'it's a good film for a New Zealand film', which is what I usually mean. I mean that this is a good film. It's actually worth seeing at the cinema and not just on television. So good it could have been made overseas. It's that good.

I only gave it eight stars though because we really don't like to take pride in stuff, especially if it's not sport related. Having said that this film does feature a lot of sport, so. Maybe that's an angle that could be used to lure kiwis in to see the film.

A deadbeat cardboard emotionless non-talent would have such a big dream to choose acting as his career? Watching this guy, a young man without any strong and passionate feelings almost to everything and nothing was such a painful viewing experience. If the teachers who chose this deadbeat young man as a newly chosen student to be admitted to their performing art school, then this school should be closed.

This is a terribly scripted film, wrongly and mistakenly chose an empty soul who, of all the people in this world, would have such a pipe dream of becoming an actor, a candidate of day-dreaming walking stiff zombie.

So using real life events in your artistic work is not really new. Not involving the people who are affected is mean to say the least, but this movie has this as the template. And while it can be "fun" to watch at times (being sarcastic unless you are mean and love the misery of others), it does not hold enough juice for the whole run time.

Overall it's a decent movie, the acting is decent and the flow of the movie is nice too. Depending if you like dramas and how you feel about characters exposing their private life, keeping secrets, others exposing them ... you may like this.