Gorgeous melodrama

Niki Caro’s film The Vintner’s Luck, based on Wellington author Elizabeth Knox’s novel of the same name and starring Keisha Castle-Hughes is, according to entertainment news site Moviehole, “Gorgeous in all facets of visual detail and also a fascinating romantic melodrama.” The review continues: “Though from New Zealand, this lush, erotic and passionate film is more European with its frank exploration of sexuality and eroticism, yet the film’s lyrical beauty and intelligence makes it something quite unexpected.” Hollywood Reporter was less generous, calling the film “an overblown work of amazing silliness.” “It’s difficult to believe that the same director who made the simple and affecting Whale Rider in 2002 and the underrated North Country in 2005, is responsible for The Vintner’s Luck. The novel upon which the film is based could very well be a masterpiece, but angels, alas, are a lot more convincing as words than as characters in a movie.” The Vintner’s Luck screened alongside other New Zealand productions, The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls and Under the Mountain, starring Sam Neill, at the recent Toronto International Film Festival.