There seemed a very good atmosphere in the audience at the Cineworld, Haymarket, London, especially as we were treated to an intro talk on the THE INSATIABLE MOON by first-time film Director Rosemary Riddell. Also in the audience were the Deputy New Zealand High Commissioner and Lord Justice Thorpe.
THE INSATIABLE MOON took almost ten years in the making is set in New Zealand and tells the tale of a bunch of mentally impaired misfits that dwell in a boarding house within the local community of Ponsonby
much like an "extended family of outcasts"
much to the dismay of many of the residents.
There are activists within the community that would like to close the commune down, sell the property and move the residents away from their town.
The main-stay of the commune is the very down to earth "street-talking" Bob Davis (played admirably by Greg Johnson) – who likes to "tell it like it is"
and against all trials and tribulations, it is his efforts that keep the "family" together.
There are a bunch of weird characters within the commune – the most notable being Arthur (play superbly by Maori actor Rawiri Paratene – who had a starring role in the Oscar nominated Whale Rider). Arthur truly believes that he is the second son of God and his charisma is such, that it tends to convince some of those he meets that there may be something in his claims.
A side story to the plot concerns the kind hearted Margaret (Sara Wiseman) who is having emotional issues in her marriage in her overwhelming desire to cope with getting pregnant in a loveless marriage, who falls for the "purity" of Arthur's crusade to save the boarding house from being taken over
and she eventually falls for Arthur
There are some good comic moments and some very sad moments due to the subject matter
but, putting these moments aside,
this is at it's heart a story about community bonding and stresses that however "outcast" you may be you can still find a "family"
a "home" where you can be welcomed
and that together you are stronger
than if you are alone
After the presentation we were invited to stay after the film for a Q&A session with two of the film's producers (one who was Mike Riddell the Directors husband and Scriptwriter for the movie), the director and Rawiri Paratene – who played the lead role of Arthur in the movie.
After which several of the New Zealanders in the audience gave a very welcomed impromptu sing-along / chants / dance session in tribute to the film and for what it stands for
it was a good night
Taglines: Sometimes you have to let go and see where you end up
In a mad world, only the mad are sane
I would say that THE INSATIABLE MOON would not cater to all tastes
and it would possibly help it you had an interest in New Zealand and the Maori culture
but those who do see it may have their eyes opened to another way of thinking
which can only be a good thing for all
THE INSATIABLE MOON is 100mins long, is possibly more suited to adults because of the subject matter and will be on general release from 7th October, 2010
