The Insatiable Moon

My friends all rave about this film; being of a contrary-nature l often find such enthusiastic recommendations rather a put-off, but l have to admit it's really entertaining, funny and warmly-human.

Made on a shoestring, it looks a little rough around the edges at times, but the performances are all perfect, especially Rawiri Paratene ("Whalerider) as the central character.

Its a New Zealand film, with some great insights into Maori culture, but the theme, the setting and the humour are universal.

Don't get put off by the 'mental illness' tag - its a really entertaining film that left even this grumpy old man leaving the cinema with a spring in his step.

I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful movie. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me think. I came away feeling like I had a better understanding of people after seeing it. Miracles really can happen if you give them a chance. It is a real credit to the New Zealand Movie industry. A truly memorable movie and one that I consider one of New Zealand's best yet. I don't watch many movies more than once, but this is one I would happily revisit. We were very fortunate to have present at our screening, the director and her husband. It was interesting to learn the story was written 13 years ago, and even back then the author envisaged it becoming a movie one day. A movie everyone should see!

This is an excellent little film, made on a minuscule budget. It will make you laugh and it will make you cry. You won't need to download a five page cheat sheet from Salon to understand it because it's just about the stuff people do to one another, good and bad, and the serendipity that sometimes results. If you liked the Japanese film Departures or the Italian film Bread and Tulips then you will probably like this. If you're a child of the Enlightment who wants everything to be explained, with Is dotted and Ts crossed then you may be disappointed because, as this film sets out to demonstrate, some things are just inexplicable.

God works in funny ways. If the first son of God could turn water into wine, Arthur the self-proclaimed second son can make stony hearts beat again. This is an inspired film. A story of psychiatric patients in a boarding house that doesn't fit into a suburb with pretensions, sounds unpromising but magically they are revealed as very real people by an excellent script and stunning performances from all the leads which draw one in. To say it is moving, witty, and very funny doesn't do it justice. That it took eight years to produce, and after funding was withdrawn was produced on a very low budget may in hindsight have helped. One senses that it is the work of people who believed in it passionately, and put their hearts and genius into it. It shows.

Could Arthur (Rawiri Paratene) really have been the second son of God? Most people missed the first one – and they said he was mad, too. But Arthur knew how to find the magic in the world.

Against all odds, Rosemary and Mike Riddell have inspired a passionate cast and crew to bring us an emotional, challenging and thought- provoking tale of a slice of life at the unfamiliar margins of New Zealand society. Unfamiliar … and yet we know these characters and this setting. We recognise the cafés and offices; we've met the real estate agent; we've stepped over the homeless guy in the doorway and heard the strange mutterings of the nutter down the street. This movie is grounded in familiar territory, but it asks many questions about the nature of the divine, the meaning of mental illness, and the power of community.

Paratene's is a stand out performance. He believes in himself, and we believe him too. While drawing deeply from the well of his Maori heritage, his is a universal character. Audiences everywhere will know him. Audiences everywhere will warm to this movie. Go see it.