Simon Morris (Radio NZ National film critic) has delivered a rather withering critique of the last few years of NZ filmmaking. You can listen to the whole summary here, and you should do if you are at all interested in NZ film. It’s arguably the most perceptive commentary since Sam Neill’s Cinema of Unease. While you might quibble about some of his judgements on individual films (I thought he was harsh on Matariki), the overall points he makes are very insightful.

Naturally enough, he covered our film as well, and had this to say:

“One film last year that had something going for it was an ultra low-budger slice of Ponsonby life called Insatiable Moon. It was a passion project by non-professionals Mike & Rosemary Riddell that had been turned down by the powers that be. So the Riddells made The Insatiable Moon on a shoestring, and were smart enough to employ some of the best actors around. Ian Mune, Sara Wiseman, Rawiri Paratene, Jason Hoyte and the rest [Morris singled out Greg Johnson for special mention as a standout later in the piece] were given the freedom to make something more out of an average script – but one that – saints be praised – told a real story.”

In summary of recent times is film, Morris says: “Telling our stories is all very well, but many of these films are barely stories at all – if by that you mean ones we’re interested in, and events that reach a satisfying conclusion.”

Well said Simon.

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