Having proved his acting skills previously in the dual role of the much loved West twins in ‘Outrageous Fortune’, Starr delivers a chilling performance as a a disheveled taxi driver in NZ film After the Waterfall…
Based on the Stephen Blanchard’s novel ‘The Paraffin Child’, ‘After the Waterfall’ attempts to grapple with what it means to lose everything, and how people respond amidst the aftermath of incomprehensible tragedy.
The Job-like account follows John Drean, a Waitakere forest park ranger, as he struggles to piece his life back together having lost his daughter to the forest, his house to fire, and his wife to his best friend. Bad things happen in threes it seems, and three years later Drean, played by Antony Starr, is a disheveled taxi driver, living with his ailing father, and seemingly trapped forever in the pain of his past.
Having proved his acting skills previously in the dual role of the much loved West twins in ‘Outrageous Fortune’, Starr delivers a chilling performance as he transforms from loving, hard working father, to the shadow of the man he once was.
Unfortunately, this aspect is one of the few solid elements holding the script together, and though it shares a similar plot, and the same ‘trouble in paradise’ themes of last year’s magnificent Kiwi release, ‘The Strength of Water’ (set and shot in Hokianga), it doesn’t quite translate the tense emotions required to make this form of drama work.
I’m not sure exactly what it was, but it may have been to do with the implausibility of many of the situations the characters found themselves in. I simply could not relate to what was going on, and though I know I should have been emphasising with the characters and their trials, I simply couldn’t get myself there. The penultimate birth scene, a result of the awkward love triangle formed between Drean, his wife, and his best friend, was a bit odd, and the fact my date was not shedding a tear for such a tragedy compounded my fears about the film’s emotional delivery.
On a more positive note the film is beautifully shot, utilising well chosen sets that any Aucklander would recognise and approve.
The initial family scene at the home in Piha is shot with a video camera, using the documentary-style photography commonly used in various television series (The Office, Arrested Development). In doing so, it successfully portrays the scene’s familial warmth, setting up the contrast required for the bleak story waiting to unfold.
Light relief, in the form of a ‘Fighting Santa’ viral video, broke the tension well, getting a laugh from most in the cinema. The use of symbolism, especially the ‘fire’, and ‘new birth’ motifs are employed well, weaving themselves into the plot, keeping the story flowing and ultimately resolving it.
And though the story itself was a bit far fetched for me, it did resolve well, leaving opening ended questions for the viewer, and giving the main character a sense of hope, one that could be shared by the audience. It had a happy ending in its own unique and oddly satisfying way, and left the reviewer with an ever-so-slight smile on his face.
By Theo Sangster, 26 October 2010.
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