Netherwood – A Kiwi Western Film

Shot in the North Canterbury town of Waipara, the film has been funded by the locals in a nice little story of Canterbury success.

But the film itself ain't no nice little story: this is a Western, Canterbury that is. When Stanley Harris (Owen Black), ever hitching, ever wandering, finds himself in the no-hoping village of Netherwood, he considers shooting on through to Timaru. But old mate Gordon (Mick Innes) says hang on: "there's no pussy there, mate." And so Stanley stays to try his hand at a bit of farm work, but it turns out he isn't welcome in Netherwood. Will Hall plays Mex, the town bully with a sore toe, who's losing his shit over the boys' loss to Twizel (not F'ing Twizel!), and is even less pleased with Stanley's presence in the village. It's all the country stuff - who owns what, who's woman is whose, and who's the hardest. Grrrrr.

Infested with small town toilet talk and myriad uses of the F word (impressive!), the writing is crude, but soon enough you're sucked in. Yes, it's a boys film - beer, violence, and being hard, but despite living the antithesis of all these things myself, it must be of the most enjoyable films I've seen this year. The writing is right on the money, and the soundtrack ensures that when the guns go off, the theatre jumps at all the right times (there were squeals, and they weren't all mine). Director Cristobal Araus Lobos has the Canty countryside looking spectacular, and surprisingly fit for a showdown.

And yes, there is pussy. It takes one helluva film for me to take on the lingo, but there we go.

Netherwood is currently awaiting funding for general release.