Movie Review: This Town

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This Town is the latest film by New Zealand writer and director David White, an absurdist mockumentary comedy set in a fictional small NZ town. It has Robyn Malcolm as Pam, an ex-cop, belting out potential evidence on her trusty dot matrix from her garage office.

Director: David White
Cast: David White, Robyn Malcolm, Rima Te Wiata

Oh how the sound of a dot matrix printer at work takes me back to my parents teaching me as a child how to help them with their office filing. I adored the screeds of paper concertina folded, the holes punched into the sides satisfying my needs for visual symmetry.

Pam is on an obsessed mission to prove the guilt of a man acquitted of a murder, circumstances that had her out of a job. Running a petting zoo of alpacas, donkeys and hamsters isn’t quite doing it for the one track minded Pam, try as she may. Pam is a brilliant role for Robyn Malcolm, highlighting her depth on screen in her ability to take on the oddest of characters.

The film setting is a culmination of all the small towns and houses I ever lived in during the 90s and early 2000’s, just with smartphones with a Tinder-esque dating app. The murder accused Sean, played by David White himself, is looking for love, and for the town to let him move on from the fact that his family was brutally murdered a few years earlier. But don’t worry, it doesn’t get too dark on the familicide, for the most part.

Sean’s profile picture epitomises the kiwi farm boy stereotype. He meets a woman on the dating app, played by Alice May Connolly, and by coupling up they face the town’s dismay and gossip, as well as Pam’s unrelenting out to get em hounding. Rima Te Wiata as Janice personifies the idiocy of tabloid media sensationalising crime with perfection.

Every funny small town kiwiana stereotype you could possibly fit into one film is featured. Look out for the awesomely funny slogans on t-shirts and hats. As a counter to the non-stop kitsch ,the film is full of stunning footage of the NZ countryside.

This Town is about to be the first New Zealand film to have a cinematic release since the start of covid-19 lockdown in late March. It debuts nationwide on August 6.

Andy Baker

Andy Baker
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