The Insatiable Moon

I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful movie. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me think. I came away feeling like I had a better understanding of people after seeing it. Miracles really can happen if you give them a chance. It is a real credit to the New Zealand Movie industry. A truly memorable movie and one that I consider one of New Zealand's best yet. I don't watch many movies more than once, but this is one I would happily revisit. We were very fortunate to have present at our screening, the director and her husband. It was interesting to learn the story was written 13 years ago, and even back then the author envisaged it becoming a movie one day. A movie everyone should see!

I'm glad I caught this film at Birmingham's famous Midlands Art Centre a few nights ago. A couple of the film's producers were on hand to conduct a Q&A. They told us how difficult it was to make the film, not least due to the dreaded 'f' word (funding). In the end it took nigh on eight years to be cinematised. The film paints a poignant picture of the perception society has towards people who have the misfortune to be mentally afflicted.

A group of residents, some with mental health problems, others simply destitute, face homelessness because the local council wants their property, on the grounds of overcrowding. When told that this move would lead to the residents being released into the community, the Ponsonby (New Zealand) locals are outraged. They cannot countenance living alongside such unpredictable people.

At the centre of this story is a Maori named Arthur (Rawiri Paratene, most famous for 2002's 'Whale Rider') who insists he is the second son of God. He walks around shoeless, smiling at everyone and high-fiving friends. His mental illness cannot suppress his happiness.

Arthur's constant state of ecstasy, we learn, is in anticipation of meeting his 'Queen of Heaven'. This turns out to be Margaret (Sara Wiseman), Arthur's complete antithesis. Although sane, she couldn't be unhappier. She is desperately trying to conceive a baby with a husband who prefers real tennis to the bedroom kind.

The film was made on a shoestring and you can tell. But that's not really a problem. You don't need a big budget to tell this kind of story. In fact, that might be a distraction. A small production forces the actors to make the film. And they do, particularly Paratene and Wiseman who make us believe in their very unlikely bond.

There's a sad scene where a brain-damaged character wrestles against himself to avoid abusing two young girls. He knows he can't control himself, so he commits suicide. That's mental illness. There are some touching scenes which will nudge, if not move you. Black comedy helps the story greatly. There's an unpredictable twist, though I would have done without the 'Being There' reference. One of the themes seems to be that God works in mysterious ways - but so can people.

We're forced to contend with the rational argument that afflicted people aren't abnormal. Disease couldn't be more natural. I'm willing to bet that we all know someone who has some affliction or other. The variety of diseases and the chance of contracting one during one's lifetime are mind-blowing. There is no point in disowning someone on the basis of their mental state. I feel the same way about sexuality and all other ways to profile a human.

Films about mental illness are starting to appear at a higher frequency, but it will be some time before they are accepted as readily as any other genre. If there are people out there who still can't accept vulnerable people like those in this film (and we know there are, otherwise why else was this film made?), I urge them to see this film because it may compel them to see things differently.

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Incredible as it may seem, funding from the very people who should have been supporting this brilliant New Zealand film (from a book by established, best-selling author, Mike Riddell), was not forthcoming but the production team fought for it and their faith has been amply rewarded.

They may not want to thumb their noses at the short-sighted New Zealand Film Commission who ignored them but I'm quite happy to do so ! The Insatiable Moon is an award winner and you missed being part of it. Shame on you.

But if there is a message in this movie it is just that - we don't see the value, the insight and beauty of people who have been labelled mentally ill. We don't see them as people at all but as a problem, preferably ignored, certainly underfunded, usually scorned.

Arthur is convinced he's the second son of God and during the course of the movie, the audience moves from the easy, dismissive laughter at such a claim, to the idea that he just might be right.

Although a New Zealand film - and one of an increasing number of top quality productions from this country - the story will resonate in any society.

In every community there are those whose inability to cope with lifes's mental strains has relegated them to the background, even the scrapheap. But this movie shows that if we have the courage to think outside the square, with insight and perception, we will surely hear and see great truths.

A moving, beautiful, happy film with a message for everyone. Don't be like the New Zealand Film Commission and turn your back on something potentially wonderful. The forgotten people are forgotten no more thanks to The Insatiable Moon. Bravo.

Could Arthur (Rawiri Paratene) really have been the second son of God? Most people missed the first one – and they said he was mad, too. But Arthur knew how to find the magic in the world.

Against all odds, Rosemary and Mike Riddell have inspired a passionate cast and crew to bring us an emotional, challenging and thought- provoking tale of a slice of life at the unfamiliar margins of New Zealand society. Unfamiliar … and yet we know these characters and this setting. We recognise the cafés and offices; we've met the real estate agent; we've stepped over the homeless guy in the doorway and heard the strange mutterings of the nutter down the street. This movie is grounded in familiar territory, but it asks many questions about the nature of the divine, the meaning of mental illness, and the power of community.

Paratene's is a stand out performance. He believes in himself, and we believe him too. While drawing deeply from the well of his Maori heritage, his is a universal character. Audiences everywhere will know him. Audiences everywhere will warm to this movie. Go see it.

This is an excellent little film, made on a minuscule budget. It will make you laugh and it will make you cry. You won't need to download a five page cheat sheet from Salon to understand it because it's just about the stuff people do to one another, good and bad, and the serendipity that sometimes results. If you liked the Japanese film Departures or the Italian film Bread and Tulips then you will probably like this. If you're a child of the Enlightment who wants everything to be explained, with Is dotted and Ts crossed then you may be disappointed because, as this film sets out to demonstrate, some things are just inexplicable.