White Lies

I agree with the majority of these reviews. I was looking up to see what other films one of the actors on White lies had been in (Taika's film Boy, must watch it again) and well I'm kind of freaked out with the luvnotwar person. Top of the Lake and White lies are both so accomplished! What on earth? Sure, a few faults here and there for both but I wouldn't think that the acting in either deserved moaning about. Yes, Elizabeth Moss accent was weird in a few places but being a character who had traveled all over the world it is little wonder the accent strays. Have you heard Anna Paquin being herself lately? Crazy accent. Very cool. And the performance of Elizabeth Moss was brilliant. There is a style of acting my mate reckons we've become accustomed to in this country. A friend, an actor, calls it "soft whisper acting". I will not attach it to any show but it definitely seems a requirement for some local drama I've watched lately and it works perfectly well too. I loved the boldness of all the actors in Top of the Lake and White Lies. I've mostly seen Rachel House, Nancy Brunning and Elizabeth Hawthorne in theatre shows some years ago now. They were fabulous in White Lies. I heard Antonia was great in Outrageous Fortune. I've been away for a few years, didn't have time to lock in to Blue Rose on my return. Anyway, thanks for annoying me enough to become a member. Might go and score some other films now. White Lies is intense and definitely worth seeing. Still thinking about it. Take a hankie.

I could not stop watching this anymore than one can put a good book down. the best dialogue and story line, I found the energy medicine and the symbolism powerful, transporting me back to time and place, very moving.

I was fortunate enough over the weekend to attend a screening of NZ feature White Lies followed by a revealing Q+A session with writer/director Dana Rotberg, star Antonia Prebble, composer John Psathas and novelist Witi Ihimaera. It might seem odd for a film about NZ colonial identity to be made by a Mexican filmmaker, but surprisingly the story benefits greatly by coming from an outside perspective.

Adapted from Witi Ihimaera's novella Medicine Woman, White Lies doesn't have a particularly well told story at its core, but is nonetheless an important film for NZ to have produced. Set during the early days of settlement, the film depicts a sinuous power struggle between colonial housewife Rebecca (Prebble), her housemaid Maraea (Rachel House), and Paraiti (Whirimako Black), the Maori medicine woman whose particular skills and discretion are sought.

The shifting dominance of each of these women, representing different aspects of female identity at the time, weaves a compelling and bleak narrative, but some of the story beats that should have had greater impact unfortunately fall a little flat. Elements that needed more room to breathe play out much too quickly, not allowing audiences time to digest, although the film's closing scenes are powerful. White Lies deals with uncomfortable subject matter, and Rotberg doesn't shy away from the story's most tragic aspects.

Thankfully, White Lies looks better than any NZ film for some time. The cinematography by NZ legend Alun Bollinger gives the rugged setting of the film a beautifully oppressive quality reminiscent of his work on Vincent Ward's Vigil, and has moments of rare, haunting beauty.

It's a shame that most viewers will be unable to hear Rotberg speak about her approach to the film. The director's keen understanding of the tragedy of colonialism in her homeland brings significance to White Lies that a Kiwi director may have been guarded about addressing, and hearing her thoughts on NZ colonialism and our nervous attitude about exposing our own violent past was incredibly refreshing. Her desire to treat the subject with integrity while never sugarcoating it comes across with wonderful passion, and while she remained respectful of the source material, she makes no excuses for altering Ihimaera's work to suit her own vision. Despite the film's faults, White Lies takes more risks and offers deeper perspective than most NZ films of late.

I had no hesitation in giving this film 10 out of 10. I thought it was extraordinary, as did everyone else in the cinema. Everyone sat respectfully and watched the credits roll and comments heard as we left the cinema were without exception complimentary. What a story - quite dark but very moving as we see the collision of two cultures. I believe White Lies has the potential to win Viewers' Choice Awards at film festivals. There was not a false note in it for me, although some may find Antonia Prebble's character quite rigid - but she needed to be. I am going to see this film again later this week, and it's not often that I do that.

This was a superb film highlighting the clash of cultures and the ramifications resulting therefrom. In this case, it is a clash between traditional Maori and English colonial cultures. What is the value of culture and what is the price of conformity?

It is a well-developed movie. The acting was very good. The characterization was rigid and predictable based upon a viewer's initial observation of the characters and their respective roles, which actually enhanced the maintenance of the secret until late in the movie. Clues are provided that almost reach the level of red-herrings, but they are real clues with multiple interpretations that become clear as the movie progresses. All is not as it originally seems.

I happened to be on an Air New Zealand flight that offered a selection of New Zealand-made films or I probably never would have had the opportunity to see this excellent film. If I had a vote, it would get my vote for best foreign film.