Out of the Blue

I was lucky enough to attend a preview screening of Out of the Blue at the Embassy theater. As the final credits rolled and the curtains closed I realized I had finally found the meaning to the word 'masterpiece'. This is unquestionably one of the best films I have ever seen. Period.

The portrayal of David Gray is haunting in every meaning of the word. Matthew Sutherland is an expert as his craft. I despised him throughout the film but at the same time felt pity; for what he was going through mentally was almost as scary as what he was causing the town to go through.

Robert Sarkies has proved to us that he has a genuine eye for directing, and that he is loaded with talent. Although he has already worked on several other New Zealand films/series, I believe that this could be his calling card for getting into the big-budget pictures.

The acting is incredible, and I really admire Karl Urban for returning to NZ and doing this low-budget film. Every single performance in this film is nothing short of spectacular. I have never felt as though I actually knew a bunch of people in a movie until now. It was genuinely the most scary thing I have seen when the town goes to hell.

I wish that this movie could get a wide theatrical release, although I am almost certain it wont because its story wont really effect anyone outside of New Zealand. However, if you live in New Zealand you must see this film when it is locally released in cinemas. In fact no; everyone should go see this film. Everyone. Twice.

10/10 This is what happens when you get a bunch of people together who love what they do to make a movie.

On November 13 1990, David Gray, an unemployed recluse, shot dead 13 people in the small coastal hamlet of Aramoana near Dunedin.

There was much conjecture about whether it was a good idea for someone to make a film about this tragic incident but it has been made and, for the most part, it has been made well.

Robert Sarkies, in a return to form after his well received first feature Scarfies, has created an amazing work of art. The opening shots of Aramoana are breath taking, and the cinematography throughout the film follows suit. The beauty of the scenery only serves to juxtapose the ugly events which take place over those 22 hours of terror.

Using Bill O' Brien's book Aramoana, Sarkies and co-writer Graeme Tetley have crafted a screenplay which focuses on subtlety and nuance. Sarkies intelligently uses these subtleties in several scenes involving Gray. Blurred camera work when Gray is on screen not only show his blurred take on reality, but also reflects his reportedly poor eyesight.

The cast is above average but two actors stand apart. It would have been inappropriate to have displayed Gray as anything but a monster, but Matthew Sunderland is able to give Gray a certain sense of pathos. His portrayal of the paranoid schizophrenic shows the killer to be a shell of a man, who has been overtaken by a terrible disease. We find him chilling and repugnant, yet one cannot help but sympathise with a person who has become so inhuman he appears more animal than man.

The other standout performance comes from Karl Urban as policeman Nick Harvey - one of the first officers on the scene. His eyes display the mixture of fear, confusion and disbelief at what lay before him at Aramoana. Watching him cradle a young girl in his arms, desperately trying to comfort her after she has been shot, is perhaps one of the most touching scenes in a movie crammed full of profound moments.

It is strange to have such a beautiful film made about such a terrible moment in New Zealand history. However, the sensitivity and emotion shown to the tragedy make the film an important commentary on the horrors of modern society. Even in a place like Aramoana, seemingly untainted by the rigours of modern life, can the harsh realities of the world be found and in these moments the human spirit is tested. The people of Aramoana and the emergency services sent to help them are testament to the fact that in the end love and compassion will prevail over the hate and disgust of sick individuals like David Malcolm Gray.

I remember very well the events unfolding in Aramoana as it was broadcast on the TV and radio. I was a Police Officer at the time and the death of a fellow officer was tough news to hear. Seeing the events recreated on screen for the first time brought the memories flooding back. Seeing how even in a relatively peaceful nation such as New Zealand, no-one is immune from random acts of violence was very sobering. I sat bolt upright the entire movie and didn't realise it. The theater was deathly quiet. This is a movie that pulls no punches and has not an inkling of Hollywood in it. It is a sad, dramatic, true to life retelling of the massacre. This type of film is one of the reasons I avoid many of the big budget Hollywood movies. There's no glorification here, no overly animated death scenes, this is movie making at it's best. The story is being told without embellishment and in a sadly beautiful way. A must see for New Zealander's, and for anyone else interested in seeing a powerful, compelling movie. New Zealand's movie of the year, without doubt.

It was refreshing to watch a movie that accurately depicted events without all of the Hollywood American-Pie. The acting and cinematography made this film feel as though it were a fly-on-the-wall documentary. I feel that the subject, and particularly David Gray, could have done with more of an introduction. The movie was 100 minutes long but I was so engrossed by the candid nature of the film, it felt much shorter. I didn't even finish my popcorn and drink! All-in-all, this is a hard-hitting movie about a tragic incident. It isn't glamourised at all and I came out of the movie feeling quite subdued. Worth a watch.

I'm a somewhat elderly American, resident in New Zealand, and this is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Everyone who appreciates truly fine movies should see this one. You needn't be a kiwi to get it. Photography, acting, composition, everything in this movie shines. As other viewers have suggested, this movie compares favorably to Hollywood and Hollywood-influenced movies (such as "Lord of the Rings", ahem) because it doesn't depend on special effects, mind-blowing battle scenes, guts or gore or gorgeous actresses to keep our attention. Regardless of what you do or do not compare it to, this one is riveting, a masterpiece.