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(Based on the book "In My Father's Den", by Maurice Gee)
Cinematographer:
Stuart Dryburgh
(The Piano, Bridget Jones' Diary, Once Were Warriors)
Music Score:
Simon Boswell
(Shallow Grave, This Year's Love)
Cast:
Paul: Matthew MacFadyen
Celia: Emily Barclay
Penny: Miranda Otto
Andrew: Colin Moy
Jackie: Jodie Rimmer
Ms Seagar: Vicky Haughton
As seen in everything
from Heavenly Creatures to Whale Rider and The Piano -
not to masquerading as mention Middle Earth - New Zealand has the uncanny
knack of feeling spacious and scenic while naggingly claustrophobic. Which
means it provides the perfect backdrop for this dark chamber piece of a
movie.
Marking director Brad McGann's full-length feature debut, the film is also
most notable for coaxing an extraordinary performance from newcomer Emily
Barclay as the central teenage character, Celia. For she is the catalyst for
all the main twists, turns and motivations of a handful of dysfunctional
adults who seem fated to repeat the mistakes of their younger selves and
their predecessors.
The plot is superficially simple: a glamorous, yet jaded war photographer
Paul (Matthew MacFadyen) returns home for his father's funeral in small town New
Zealand to be reunited with his estranged brother Andrew (Colin Moy), a pious, yet
bitter ostrich farmer, now married with a voyeuristic teenage son. When
revisiting their father's old den, Paul stumbles across a teenage girl Celia
(Barclay) who uses the place as her secret hideaway. They strike up an
unlikely friendship as Celia attempts to break down Paul's weary aloofness
while he discovers that she is the daughter of his old flame, Jackie
(Jodie Rimmer), now the local butcher with a dodgy and voyeuristic boyfriend.
But when Celia goes missing, the narrative takes on a darker, more violent
hue and the fingers point at Paul. Has she discovered her true identity and
gone abroad, or has a family member disposed of the inconvenient teen? Was
voyeurism to blame? Why did Paul and Andrew's mother die? And what was their
father really getting up to in his secret den?
Through a mixture of diary entries, frequent flashbacks and Paul's move away
from his position of denial, the truth is uncovered in all its raw
unpleasantness. Paul might make a pyre of his memories, but despite this,
the characters seem unable to escape the grip of the past.
The movie is above all, an exploration of secrets, voyeurism, escape and
memory, much like an early novel from Ian McEwan. And the lynchpins are the
excellent performances not just from Barclay, but also from MacFadyen.
No-one does careworn, moody, introspective silence like MacFadyen, and
whether snug in the den or dwarfed by majestic landscapes, he certainly gets
to strut his silent stuff here.
NB. Trivia fans will be interested to know that casting director Diana
Rowan, who found Emily Barclay, also unearthed Anna Paquin for The Piano and
Keisha Castle-Hughes for Whale Rider. And look out for Patti Smith's Horses
album, which features in the plot and on the soundtrack.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
