Fantail (2013) User Reviews (2)

This is what all films should be like.

[nzswanny · 10/10 · 25 March 2017]

**SPOILER FREE**

No dumb, over the top CGI action scenes, no horrible acting from Tommy Wiseau, no trace of bad dialogue...

...accompanied at a perfect pace, elegantly mixing comedy and drama thoroughly into a mix that works, with great cinematography and superb acting. Marvelous.

The pacing in this is absolutely perfect. Things don't go flying at you, but things don't trod toward you, either. The pacing fits the tone of this story perfectly, and the acting and direction of this film are superb. The plot is simply about a woman called Tania who works at a petrol station, but it slowly turns into more than that as the movie goes along. Boredom, insanity, humour and melancholy all fade into one mixture in this film, creating a film that deserves to be experienced.

I may be considered to be going over-the-top, but I'm giving this a 10/10, because I can find absolutely no flaws at all in this film. This is absolutely perfect filmmaking. Well, what are you waiting for? Go see it1

Underrated Film

[ZillyPutty · 9/10 · 14 May 2023]

I have just watched three of Sophie Henderson's films, and I while I enjoyed all three, I think that this is her most poetic one. She tends to show the non-tourist's perspective of New Zealand and focuses on the side effects of poverty: economic stagnation and magical thinking. She also casts many indigenous actors in her films, which is very refreshing and adds authenticity to her story telling.

In this film, she plays the protagonist, Tania - a young white woman who shares caretaking duties for her ill mother with her Maori-looking brother. Tania waxes nostalgia about her deceased father, who her mother says was a pilot. She works the overnight shift at a gas station and spends much of her time calling her younger brother to check on him. Most of story revolves around interactions at the gas station and her phone calls. In spite of the static setting, the film is quite moving. I hope that more people get a chance to see Henderson shine in this gem.