The Turn of the Screw (M, 88mins) Directed by Alex Galvin ½ It’s after 11pm, but Julia’s (Greer Phillips) night is only just beginning. While the flight delay gave her more time to work on her lines, this is still the only chance she’ll have to run through the play before tomorrow’s opening night. Most of the stage crew have already gone home, as have two of the actors, but director Richard (Ralph Johnson) is still convinced this will give his leading lady a chance to get a real feel for this production of Henry James’
The Turn of the Screw.
THE TURN OF THE
SCREW gets its highly anticipated nationwide
cinematic release on
21
January.
Opening at Rialto Newmarket and The
Capitol in Auckland, The Roxy in Wellington, and Alice
Cinemas in Christchurch, the film will then tour the country
throughout January and February.
Set on a
stage in modern day New Zealand, a young actress, Julia, is
a last minute replacement in a theatre production of the
Henry James classic THE TURN OF THE SCREW, for the lead who
suddenly pulled out a day before
opening.
Arriving late at
night, Julia must immediately go on stage and perform a
dress rehearsal to an empty auditorium. As she interacts
Reviews From the 2020 Another Hole In The Head Film Festival by Peter Wong on December 15, 2020
One of the 2020 Another Hole In The Head Film Festival’s offerings shows why the slogan “All Cops Are Bastards” may be far truer than the average person may be comfortable with. Amadeo Canonico’s “The Statement” gets at these truths by taking an oral wrecking ball to the wall separating its characters from their awareness of the audience and author.
The characters in question are a group of Brazilian Military Police officers in an unknown city. They’ve come to a greasy spoon diner to grab lunch on a “free (or else)” basis. While each cop eats, he or she looks directly at the camera and shares their thoughts about being a cop. They also mock popular attitudes about them and even the author’s attempts at real
The Turn of the Screw. Photo: Courtesy AHITH
If we’re going to enjoy many new films in 2021, we’ll have to rely largely on countries that have COVID-19 under control to provide them. Anticipate, as a consequence, a large crop of films from Australia, China, Iceland, Mongolia, New Zealand, and (fingers crossed!) Vanuatu in the year ahead.
But perhaps the Antipodean invasion has already begun! This year’s Another Hole in the Head Film Festival running from Friday, Dec. 11 through Sunday, Dec. 27 includes an outstanding new Kiwi production of Henry James’
The Turn of the Screw, and a fun little treat from their neighbors across the Tasman Sea about which, more below.