A South Auckland petrol station is the setting for this independent drama about graveyard shift worker Tania (Sophie Henderson, also the...
A South Auckland petrol station is the setting for this independent drama about graveyard shift worker Tania (Sophie Henderson, also the film’s writer and based on her one-woman stageplay), whose long nights are spent chipping away at the savings she needs to leave with her little brother in search of their father.
Raised Maori, Tania’s bonds to her whanau underpin a life spent caring for her ailing mother during the day and preparing to take her brother Piwakawaka overseas. But as he leaves to pick kiwifruit and Tania is stuck at the gas station with a slack manager and an eagle-eyed regional supervisor, it seems she’s not able to look after her family to the same extent.
A product of the NZ Film Commission’s Escalator scheme, this low-budget feature, shot in just 20 days, brings Henderson’s piece to the big screen courtesy of first-time director Curtis Vowell.
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Where to watch Fantail
57 %12 reviewsAudience score rating
"In similar fashion to 2013’s Oscar Wilde-inspired The Selfish Giant, Fantail brings a Maori fable to a local lower-class setting. Mostly set at a South Auckland petrol station, first-time feature director Curtis Vowell achieves the sombre look and visual grit such a lonesome location requires, allowing actress/writer/wife Sophie Henderson to soak it all up with her vibrant, absorbing performance."
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Flicks
Flicks"The well-crafted story trips along at quite a pace, proffering surprises as well as flashes of nastiness."
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Stuff
Stuff"I was gobsmacked by it. The acting talent is absolutely stunning."
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Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand"One of the freshest New Zealand films to come along in years. Displaying an emotional assuredness rarely seen in debut films,... often-hilarious and occasionally devastating."
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New Zealand Herald
New Zealand Herald"Even with these flaws, it’s an effective and engaging film."
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Metro Magazine
Metro Magazine"A fascinating and brave film anchored by Sophie Henderson’s Kidman-esque performance."
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Lumiere Reader
Lumiere Reader"Fantail is a deft, brief, ultimately indelible film."
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Dominion Post
Dominion PostFantail | Details
- Runtime
- 79
- Genre
- Drama
- Country of origin
- New Zealand
