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Vigil
Film (Trailer and Excerpts) – 1984
Eleven-year old Toss (Fiona Kay) lives on a remote farm. When her father dies in an accident, bearded stranger Ethan (Frank Whitten) arrives on the farm. Toss fears him and is confused when he and her mother become lovers. But it's through Ethan that Toss comes to terms with her father’s death, and the first stirrings of womanhood. Vincent Ward’s multi award-winning debut feature was the first New Zealand film invited to compete at the Cannes Film Festival. LA Times writer Kevin Thomas was among many critics to praise it; he called Vigil "a work of awesome beauty".
(Ward) has created an extraordinary visual and psychological experience, a work of awesome beauty at once mystical and earthy, robust and eerie. It is screen poetry of the utmost rigor, achieving maximum effects from minimal means.– Reviewer Kevin Thomas in The Los Angeles Times, 14 August 1986
Key Cast & Crew
See all 27 credits
Produced by
Acknowledgements
Made with funding from the NZ Film Commission and the Film Investment Corporation of New Zealand
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Rain of the Children
Another tale of children by Vincent Ward
About Face
This series was produced by John Maynard
Open House - Happy Birthday (First Episode)
Also starring Frank Whitten
Kaleidoscope - NZ Cinema, the Past Decade
Vigil features in this survey of NZ film
Possum
Brad McGann's similarly moody short
Accidents
More Frank Whitten in the mud
The Living Room - Series One, Episode Eight
Featuring cameraman Alun Bollinger
Barefoot Cinema - The Life and Art of Cinematographer Alun Bollinger
The film is discussed 29 minutes into this documentary
The God Boy
Writer Graeme Tetley acts in this telefeature
Mr Pip
More imaginary escapism from everyday horror
Out of the Blue
Also co-written by Graeme Tetley
River Queen
Also directed by Vincent Ward
An Angel at My Table
Produced by John Maynard and Bridget Ikin
Godzone Sheep
A documentary on sheep as cultural icons
Bad Blood
Another grim look at NZ farm life
Eruption
Also written by Graeme Tetley
Strata
More moody loners produced by John Maynard
Heart of the High Country - First Episode
Frank Whitten plays another farmer
Hooks and Feelers
More trouble on the farm
Home Kill
Another dubious farm visitor
Cold Snap
More growing up in the backcountry
Land of the Long White Stain
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Lull
A music video that may have been influenced by this film
West of Eden
Rural drama set in the 1960s
LIFE (Life in the Fridge Exists) - Christmas Episode
Also written by Graeme Tetley
Kaleidoscope - Edward Bullmore
More surreal NZ landscapes
Human Traces
More unease in the NZ outdoors
Kaleidoscope - Vincent Ward
Vincent Ward and writer Graeme Tetley talk about the film
For Art's Sake - A Century of Cinema
NZ Film Commission's Lindsay Shelton discusses Kiwi films
Stray
More isolation in the back country
Eleven
Another drama featuring a young girl
Wait
Short film about a child and a mother
Revelations
Fiona Kay also acts in this short film
The New Adventures of Black Beauty - A Horse Like Beauty (Episode Two)
Bill Kerr also acted in this kids drama series
The Waiting Place
More moody bush landscapes
Milk
Another award-winning drama starring a girl
Open House - Shades of Blue
Frank Whitten appears in this series
In Spring One Plants Alone
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