Home Kills

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.

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.

I loved this movie, and found it thoroughly engaging from start to finish. I usually don't watch movies if they are more than about 90 minutes long, but for this one I was glad I made an exception. As others here have said, the two main actors do a great job/are totally believable; at least to me, an Australian guy. Maybe many of the subtleties of this movie will be lost on viewers who are not from 'Noo Zulland' or Australia ... but maybe not. GREAT MOVIE, and another to come out of New Zealand proving that you do not need to spend 'big bucks' to make one. Huge ups to the two main actors (the two brothers in the movie), and the director. Excellent stuff. Make more movies you guys, please.

Went and saw the screening at the Putaruru plaza this evening.

A great story told through dark comedy and heavy themes. The casting, scenery, camerashots and everything in between was so well done I couldn't look away. The story was captivating and seeing the character development really showed all perspectives of the characters and how well written it was. Listening to Haydn and Lanny talk about the project after the screening, you can see the passion and heart that was put into this from all members of crew. If you get the opportunity to see this film take it and take it again. A true New Zealand cinematic masterpiece. This is a must watch.

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.