This Is Not My Life

New Zealand has an astounding amount of TV and Film talent for such a small population and This is Not My Life is a well acted and beautifully produced piece of TV. I think that the care that went into this goes beyond scriptwriting and acting (both of which are top notch).The sets and setting are detailed and consistent down to the graphical user interfaces on PDAs and office computers - an alternative but very plausible view of where 2010 technology is heading. The look and feel of the world we are being invited into here has details that describe a dystopian New Zealand down to the overly plastic 'Kia Ora' greeting. Although this is a very Kiwi futuristic drama I hope that this TVNZ production gets taken up by the international networks, it deserves as wide a showing as possible.

The plot owes something to the 1960s series 'The Prisoner' and also to 'Lost' given that the early episodes resolve nothing about how Waimoana came to exist. More than that there is a Kubrick feel to this production based on a tenacious attention to detail by the whole team.

i've read reviews of this show by NZ viewers, and they seem surprised that such a show is produced in NZ. i hope that is because they are glad to see such good entertainment, and not because most of the NZ programming is rubbish.

now, this is a well written show, well thought out and well acted. as said before, it proves that good programming is not dependent on cash, but on good writing, good actors dedicated to the project, and a good production team which is dedicated to the quality and authenticity of the series.

it makes no matter where a series is made, if there is intelligent use of existing locations, then with a small budget one can create an alternate reality, especially if it is not too far removed from the present.

but the most important factor--just ask any competent actor--is the writing. in television, more so than film, the writing must be tight. a two-hour film allows for more fat in the dialog than a one hour show, but that being said, a TV series allows for more character development, but also invites--if poorly made--more filler without advancing the narrative and plot-line.

this show is a tight project. i recommend it to anyone of above average IQ, and those who are burned out on the recycled plot-lines most producers fob onto their mass audience.

most TV runs on the premise that cash is king, but not this one. somebody cared about this series, and thank goodness.

I only discovered this show thanks to a mention in a review of Humans. To that reviewer - thank you so much!

The concept reminded me very much of "The Prisoner" (original series) - there's an overly happy village where everyone spouts platitudes but with an underbelly of mind control and serious menace; a central hero; lots of uncertainty about what's going on; and it's impossible to escape (or is it?).

The casting, acting, scripts and whole feel of the production were spot- on. I watched the whole show in the course of a couple of days.

Very surprised that it is not well known - I would have expected it to have a cult following. Tried hard to buy DVDs (including looking at online Kiwi shops), but it doesn't seem to be available anywhere. The good news is that the whole series is on Youtube.

Very highly recommended.

This was a great show and much better than expected. Well done. I read in other reviews that ABC purchased the show, and let it die. Wow, another screw up by an American entertainment org. The shows on American tv are mostly bad, and I can say this because I'm an American. I'd recommend this show to anyone. Both my wife and I really enjoyed it.

I doubt I have watched a TV series end to end since From the Earth to The Moon' but at last a show that assumes some intelligence of it's viewers and setting and story line that leads you to want to know more.

Clever style making the most of real places, buildings and setting - so does not feel too far in the future. The NZ production (and hence I assume lower budget available than a US made series) seems to have led to more thoughtful writing and directing and probably works in its favor. It will be interesting if greater funding ahead will round off the edges.

Various levels of story it seems, so one suspects the story will actually become more complex as it goes along.

Also real-life modern NZ-English language and architectural style should add a level of interest to non-NZ audiences and so probably appeal to those looking for more thoughtful programs than most.

Could be the basis for a long running and trend setting sci-fi-ish series. Well done guys.