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Vigil (1984)

Not Rated | | Drama | 15 August 1986 (USA)
Vigil Poster
A lonely girl living on an isolated, mist-cloaked farm is confronted with the changes wrought by a stranger that arrives.

Director:

Vincent Ward

Writers:

Vincent Ward (screenplay), Graeme Tetley (screenplay) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

Penelope Stewart, Frank Whitten, Bill Kerr | See full cast & crew »
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3 wins & 2 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Penelope Stewart Penelope Stewart ... Elizabeth Peers
Frank Whitten ... Ethan Ruir
Bill Kerr ... Birdie
Fiona Kay Fiona Kay ... Lisa Peers (Toss)
Gordon Shields Gordon Shields ... Justin Peers
Arthur Sutton Arthur Sutton
Bob Morrison Bob Morrison
Snow Turner Snow Turner
Lloyd Grundy Lloyd Grundy
Bill Liddy Bill Liddy
Joseph Ritai Joseph Ritai
Maurice Trewern Maurice Trewern
Josie Herlihy Josie Herlihy
Eric Griffin
Sadie Marriner Sadie Marriner
See full cast »
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Storyline

A lonely girl living on an isolated, mist-cloaked farm is confronted with the changes wrought by a stranger that arrives.

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

father daughter relationship | mother daughter relationship | grandfather granddaughter relationship | farm hand | herd | See All (54) »

Genres:

Drama

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Details

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 August 1986 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Dojrzewanie See more »

Filming Locations:

New Zealand

Company Credits

Production Co:

John Maynard Productions, Film Investment Corporation of New Zealand, New Zealand Film Commission See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was nominated for three New Zealand Listener Awards / New Zealand Film & TV Awards during the mid-1980s- Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Screenplay - Original, but the picture failed to take home a gong in any of these categories. See more »

Connections

Featured in Century of Cinema: Cinema of unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neal (1995) See more »

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User Reviews

 
an obscure story, gorgeously rendered
13 January 2011 | by mjneu59 – See all my reviews

A young girl comes of age on a remote New Zealand farm, isolated deep inside a beautiful but forbidding landscape of windswept forests and mountains. Be forewarned: the film is no picturesque fable of adolescent angst, but a brooding, dreamlike story that occasionally slips into eerie, portentous lyricism. Shot in luminous verdant tones, the surrounding terrain is allowed to determine (some might say overwhelm) the scenario, putting it at the mercy of the impassive power of nature. Character and story development are nominal: after her father dies falling off a cliff, the young heroine watches a menacing, mysterious poacher arrive to help her widowed mother and crackpot grandfather, with his unexpected presence adding a subdued current of muted violence and sexuality to the already troubled household. It's a dark, claustrophobic little film, dramatically taciturn but visually impressive.
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