During the gala premiere in London, we had what Rawiri Paratene described as the best Q&A session he’s ever experienced. The stimulus to an exciting interaction came from a gentleman dressed in a spectacular gold lame suit, and carrying a fine cane. He was second cab off the rank in terms of questions, and clearly quite fired up to have his chance. When he got the call, his comment was to the effect that this was not a film about mental health at all. In fact he opined, it was a load of shit and “nothing but a money spinner”. To which one of our number responded that they wished it was a money spinner!

It certainly galvanised the crowd, with some feeling they needed to respond and others falling over themselves to tell us how much they loved the film. Meanwhile the man in the gold suit kept prowling around the cinema and shouting insights as they came to him. Easy to write him off as mad, to marginalise him and therefore not consider his comments. To do that would have been a travesty of everything the film is about, and I was thankful that our MC allowed the guest his voice and place among us. No doubt some people present felt discomfort – we often become anxious when confronted with difference and potential conflict.

So what about his commentary? Was his voice a kind of prophetic one? In many ways the filmmakers are in agreement with him. It’s not a film about mental health at all. It’s a film about humanity, and about the barriers which separate us. It’s a story, weaving together many strands, not the least of which is what is considered normal and acceptable. It involves people who find salve for their wounds and disappointments in the most unlikely of places.

While his view that it was a load of shit is not one we share, it’s been the opinion of some reviewers and certainly of many of those who have looked at our project during its long gestation in development. So it’s a possible and valid response.

Is it a money-spinner? Clearly not, though we wouldn’t mind if it were! But the critique is deeper than that. Does the film exploit mental illness as a means to bringing people into cinemas? Does it represent the Hollywoodisation of a marginal group’s painful experience? We hope not. The story grows out of the community it is about, and several of the people who were present during the real events which sparked the fictional story were on set during filming – giving us their support and endorsement. And, it seems, a film which features boarding house residents is not one which is easy to market to mainstream audiences.

We stand by our story of small people dealing with big problems, and its power to engage the humanity of all. But we also welcome the contribution of the man in the gold suit and hear his voice.

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