The Changeover

This review may contain spoilers!

This film has really left me quite disappointed in New Zealand film-making. I would give The Changeover a 3/10.

This film has an interesting mystical retelling of a child kidnapper story; the Chant family are threatened by a notably malevolent yet recognisable threat in the form of Carmody Braque. The antagonist of the feature really does make this film feel like it has genuinely high, dangerous stakes within some scenes; Braque is a skittish yet utterly terrifying creature who poses a powerful challenge throughout the film. The cinematography used in this film is absolutely breath-taking; there's a real sense of art to how the film is captured, particularly in relation to setting. The special effects worked into this film are fairly impressive, with the displays of magic from the characters the obvious standout. The soundtrack for the film has quite a vibrant selection and will appeal to the younger audience; everything feels very modern and filled with energy.

Lucy Lawless and Kate Harcourt, who played Miryam Carlisle and Winter Carlisle respectively, are very convincing as the wise magical matriarchs of their family; I was especially won over by the deep spiritual portrayal Harcourt lent to her role. Erana James, who played Laura Chant, is a brilliant protagonist for this film and an exceptional talent; James' builds up a protective character who is easy to connect with and is fiercely loyal to her family. Benji Purchase, who played Jacko Chant, is quite a cute and entertaining young performer; Purchase does great work portraying his role's innocence while also developing a darker persona once he is possessed.

However, the best performance came from Timothy Spall, who played Carmody Braque. Spall does an excellent job in how he builds his character up, at first Braque seems fairly dottery, possibly creepy but certainly not a supernatural threat. The nature of this role is that despite his unnatural abilities he poses a threat to the Chant family that is very real and recognisable. Yet Spall goes beyond this and adds little quirks and oddities to Braque's persona that make you wonder what more lies beneath the surface. As the role grows more twisted and sinister it is very clear to see the arcane might behind that really resides within this figure. Spall does a great job within this film and absolutely steals the show.

The Changeover is a supernatural film that doesn't really know how to tell the story it wants to tell; most puzzling is the rather confusing relationships the protagonist has with other characters. The family dynamic in the film feels quite exaggerated and is hard to believe; while her connection with the Carlisle's seems to come out of nowhere at all. The teen romance that grows between Laura and Sorensen often undermines key scenes of the film and doesn't really have a place in the narrative. Furthermore, the pacing of the film really reflects upon the weak storytelling; often the viewer is bogged with monotonous boring scenes before the pacing quite sharply accelerates and you have to scramble to make heads and tails of the sudden developments. The film isn't adverse to padding up glaring plot holes either, such as Laura's paradoxical and poorly portrayed 'changeover' sequence. Probably most annoying about this film is that it doesn't ground itself within it's setting very well, this barely feels like a New Zealand film and it certainly doesn't go to great lengths to identify itself as such. Furthermore, it generally ignores the earthquake-stricken city that it is set in unless grabbing interesting visuals; a disappointing waste of location and a clear statement that no thought was put into the significance of setting within the feature film.

Melanie Lynskey, who played Kate Chant, is not very believable as the mother figure within this film; Lynskey's blank ignorance and often abusive attitude to her children feels really forced and stretches one's belief at the best of times. Nicholas Galitzine, who played Sorensen Carlisle, is exceptionally cringeworthy as the romantic interest of the film; his monotone line delivery and severe lack of chemistry with James makes his heavy screen presence a burden upon the film. Ella Edward, who played Nicky Green, doesn't have a great deal of screen presence unfortunately; Edward certainly could have been used to better effect as the best friend role but is ultimately forgettable.