Vigil

At the starting scene of the movie, I did not know what to expect..as I continued to watching..I began to drawn to each character in their own way in the movie as in the connection between the mother, the grandfather, the poacher (the stranger).All together in one. But the real star in the story is TOSS- the little girl who witness her father's death. Throughout the whole movie, one begin to see how she is coping by her father's departure and somewhat feel alienated she wore an hawk-like hat to cover her face from the rest of the world ..and coming of age to discover who she really is and most of all the value of her womanhood.

The movie is a bit slow but it has a nice background based on its time, kinda bluish-gray mixing with different weathers during the scenes which made it magnificent and captivating to watch..Don't expect drama or actions..This movie is somewhat for the innocent. Just a feel-good movie. Go your nearest store; buy or rent it. You will enjoy it..

My Rating : 8/10

'Beans up your...'

'Vigil' is about a lonely young girl living with her family on an isolated, mist-cloaked farm and the disturbing realities she faces along the way.

Beautiful, funny and grand - don't be fooled by it's minimalist settings but try and look for the primal feelings of childhood which is captured so wonderfully.

Highly recommended.

A slow-moving film, exquisitely shot, that to me is the best of pre-1990's New Zealand films. Mystical, magical, haunting, poetic, moody, moving...these words come to mind when trying to describe the film. Best images: Toss in the ballet tutu and gumboots; the unexpected spurt of blood on Toss's face when docking the lambs; Mum at the window; "Beans to God". Applause for script, cinematography, direction, and Fiona's remarkable performance as Toss.

Well this film is hard to categorize, but let's just say it is filled with gorgeous and wondrous textures and images. The stark scenery is brilliantly captured by the camera here.

Classic Vincent Ward palette of delectable images and haunting music. - Bravo!

A young girl comes of age on a remote New Zealand farm, isolated deep inside a beautiful but forbidding landscape of windswept forests and mountains. Be forewarned: the film is no picturesque fable of adolescent angst, but a brooding, dreamlike story that occasionally slips into eerie, portentous lyricism. Shot in luminous verdant tones, the surrounding terrain is allowed to determine (some might say overwhelm) the scenario, putting it at the mercy of the impassive power of nature. Character and story development are nominal: after her father dies falling off a cliff, the young heroine watches a menacing, mysterious poacher arrive to help her widowed mother and crackpot grandfather, with his unexpected presence adding a subdued current of muted violence and sexuality to the already troubled household. It's a dark, claustrophobic little film, dramatically taciturn but visually impressive.