Film Festival Fun

It's that time of year again.

Right now, Wellington can either be stunningly beautiful, channelling Tennyson's "all in the blue, unclouded weather," or unapologetically foul, as the Cook Strait is rained, blown and spewed upon the streets, houses and hills.

Basically it's this one day:

And something like this the next:

The state of the weather is a little bit off-topic, but my point is that each year, mid-to-late July heralds the New Zealand International Film Festival, and, for the the third year in a row, I plan to traipse around the city in inappropriate footwear, visiting the gorgeous cinemas, hunting down interesting new films. (The inappropriate footwear being little suede ballet flats. They don't hold up to the city's hills, and they certainly don't survive a full southerly thunderstorm.)

Anyway, this year, I've got a lot of films I want to see. Unfortunately, due to other people being a lot more organised than me (ie, they booked tickets), I've missed out on seeing the Czech "Kawasaki's Rose" - a film inspired that explores the communist state surviellence that Czech's live with daily. Not surprisingly, this film is said to be inspired by "The Lives of Others."

However, not all is lost.

There's still Polanski's "The Ghost Writer" (starring the very attractive Ewan McGregor). There's the kiwi film "The Hopes and Dreams of Gazza Snell." There's the intriguing (and beautiful looking) Brazilian film "I Travel Because I Have To, I Come Back Because I Love You." And finally, with a nod to my Australian Gangster heritage, there's "Animal Kingdom."

Should be good times.

xx Esther

Separation City

I’ve been meaning to write about this film for a long time. Directed by Paul Middleditch and written by Tom Scott, Separation City is a Kiwi (with lots of Aussies and a couple of Germans too) film that was released here last year, was and released in Australia in mid-March this year (no idea what cinemas it’s showing in, sorry).

Put very simply, Separation City is a film about relationships and breaking up in Wellington. The poetic irony is that I watched it, and then was broken up with, in Wellington (screw you, poetic irony). The film follows Simon, (Australian Joel Edgerton), who is married, increasingly unsuccessfully, to Pam (Dannielle Cormack). Simon and Pam are part of a group of several professional, mid-30s friends who all have small children and who all are trying to figure out love and life. Rhonda Mitra plays one of these friends, the supposedly German/Dutch Katrien, though Mitra has got the plummiest accent you’ll ever hear. Katrien’s husband Klaus, (who does sound legitimately German) cheats on her, and Simon, frustrated and not connecting at all with Pam, falls in serious unrequited love with Katrien. Unsurprisingly, stuff gets problematic.

L-R - Katrien, Pam, Joanne, Harry, Simon

That’s the simple outline. Separation City is about a lot more than just break-ups. To begin with, it’s got a sharp, dark, sense of humour. Also, being set in Wellington, it’s got politics, sleazy politicians and wry journalists. When it examines families and the daily, often cringe-worthy dynamics of family life, (used condoms, chocolate cereal for breakfast, remembering to buy "cheapish but still drinkable Aussie Shiraz" for a dinner party), it’s amusing, accurate and not prepared to gloss over the awkward things that matter. Finally, the cinematography in Separation City is fantastic. Wellington comes across as the spectacular, hilly coastal city it is, though in Separation City, Wellington's absolute best side is shown - it’s nearly always sunny and only mildly breezy (filthy lies). It’s worth watching the film just for the beautiful scenery.

And now I have a confession to make. I really wanted to love this film. It’s set in Wellington! Joel Edgerton is very good looking! Les Hill (who plays Simon’s journalist best friend, Harry, and who is, hand down, the films’ best actor) is (without hyperbole) the greatest character ever!

But I couldn’t love it. I could like sections of it a lot, but in places the film feels forced and contrived. The voice over provided by Simon and Katrien is especially contrived and unnecessary (though Simon’s can be quite funny). The pace is very uneven, and although the sections with the men’s group are all at once hilarious, poignant and revealing, they feel somewhat out of place, like they could be from another film.

This is not to say you shouldn’t watch Separation City. It is very much worth seeing. But just don’t go to it expecting to fall in love.

xx Esther

Weather is serious news here

This afternoon, after a month of solid sunshine, Wellington made friends with a giant southerly front, direct from Antarctica.

(Epic storm front coming over Wellington harbour. All images from Stuff.co.nz)

Wellingtonians seem to have a complex relationship with weather: they've long realised that their city is a blustery storm trap for squally, meterological events. The airport's slogan is "Wild At Heart" and all the "welcome" style flags around the run-way bear the statement: "Wellington Aiport, Celebrating 50 WILD years". (If you never plan on flying to Wellington, or if you do, and don't mind anticipating bit of a wild ride, check out this video compilation of plane landings.)

In the arts field too, the weather plays a significant role: public sculptures are deliberately designed around the winds. Sculptures reel, spin, wave and light up as the wind blows through them.There's also "weather" poetry (see the Wellington based anthology, Big Weather).

Even on a day-to-day basis, a calm (oh! pun!) acceptance of the weather takes place: people don't bother with umbrellas and will never run somewhere in the rain if they'd normally walk.

Intense weather then, is a universally acknowledged truth.

Except, somehow, weather remains to be news. It's a national preoccupation. I am convinced that the weather report takes up a good half of the evening news bulletin. But I don't understand why. I mean, Wellingtonians (and New Zealanders in general) know that the weather can get spectacularly nasty. But why then does a storm front become a lead news item? Weather is not news. It's a constant.

And right now, it's constantly wild.

xx Esther

Cubans and Coffee

As mentioned in my post earlier this week (a not so subtle way to say: "look! I'm posting twice in a week!"), one of the things I was looking forward to in Wellington was the cafes. I'm not sure what it is, but Wellington has a ridiculous number of quirky, interesting cafes that produce fantastic coffee.

Because I haven't been here long enough to visit all the centrally located cafes, I'm not yet up to anointing any particular one with a "Best Coffee" award (give me another week though...). However, what I can say at this stage is that Fidel's cafe on Cuba Street is all kinds of awesome.

A nice start to a morning? A long black, date scone and The Dominion Post.

I'd say that was pretty damn nice.

So, why is Fidel's awsome?

Their long blacks. They're strong, not too long, the beans are never burnt, and the they're served hot enough to boil the inside of your mouth. So, they're pretty much perfect.

They produce excellent date scones. Oh yes they do. They're so damn good that I bother getting up early so I can ensure I get one (and, if it weren't for the similarly tasty (but very different) scones at Finc, I'd be prepared to declare them the best in Wellington).

There's a variety of inside/outside seating options - they have two (two!) different groovy courtyards!

And the staff are friendly. Always.

Mad props go to Fidel's.

Swellington

Wellington Harbour

So a little while ago I decided I'd organise an exchange through my university and study in Wellington, New Zealand for a year. This seemed like a nice idea and for a long time, everything was all fine and dandy. Throughout the second half of 2009, when I saw people I hadn't seen for a long time, and they asked me what my news was, I could tell them in a very blase manner "oh, I'm living in Wellington next year". I could dream of being (kind of like) Katherine Mansfield (no dying at 33, thanks) and imagine a year spent writing in Wellington's groovy cafes, a long black on the table in front of me.

Looking down to the city from Mt Victoria

Then, suddenly, 2010 came around and I actually had to move. For me, this involved a fair it of stress and attempting to fit as much sporting equipment as possible into an over-sized ski bag.

Down by the harbour

Anyway, I've been in Wellington now for nearly two weeks and it's been lovely. This notoriously stormy city, it seems, tends to make the most out of its summer by throwing a large number of festivals. There's the New Zealand International Arts Festival, Wellington Writer's Week, a French Film festival, the Sevens International Rugby Tournament (which was basically just a city-wide dress-up party), a Fringe Festival, summer evening free film screenings and night markets happening nearly every day of the week.

From Mt Victoria, looking to Hataitai and Miramar

So Wellington is pretty swell. As part of my introduction to Wellington, here is Angus and Julia Stone's song, "Private Lawns". It talks about a "windy city". I'm not sure if they mean Wellington, but it is windy here, and there are lots of lovely (green!) gardens and lawns all over the place too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63TyKWQLm_8

xx Esther