This Town

This review may contain spoilers!

This Town is by far one of my favourite comedies of 2020, and more importantly, one of the best New Zealand films I've seen in a while. I would give This Town a 7.5/10.

This Town follows Sean, a young rural New Zealander who is the last surviving member of his family and the former prime suspect in their murder case. As an innocent man with accusations of murder haunting his life Sean wants little more than to find love and carry on with his life; and while there is hope he might just wind up happy, former police offer Pam is relentlessly trying to prove his guilt. This is a mockumentary that achieves something I haven't seen from the medium in a couple of years, we get a fresh comedic spin on the genre and a gripping narrative that has heart to spare. What I love so much about this film is that there's something in it that every New Zealander is going to see and recognise; you might not live exactly the same but the mannerisms and cultural norms that are parodied are spot on. This film really has some diversity in its comedic storytelling too; you'll have one scene with a very stoic cop and then jump to our charismatic if not somewhat awkward protagonists and then across to these vain, gossiping editors from a That's Life-esque magazine. Any time you think This Town might be getting laboured and have to drop the ball on its sense of humour it takes a moment to find a new angle so that you never get bored of just how funny this film really is. I also thought This Town navigated the complexities of an accused murderer living within a community really well; there are of course similarities to the infamous David Bain case but the feature makes marked strides to isolate its own take. The exploration of how guilt is perceived and judged even after a trial gets very honest within some scenes, making Sean as much a victim of mob mentality as he is still a suspicious character for the audience. The ingenuity of the narrative is making you as invested in Sean and Casey's Storyline as you are in Pam's, in fact a lot of the film makes you consider Pam's perspective and leaves you puzzling if Sean really is as charismatic as he seems. The film is a really satisfying journey of realised potential, it's hilarious and holds your attention consistently. The cinematography feels really stylised towards the mockumentary genre, but it also manages to capitalise on some very comedic props and the exquisite backdrop of Kiwi scenery. The soundtrack for the feature is beautiful, containing tracks that enhance the comedy of some scenes and the romantic nature of the protagonists' story in others.

David White, who played Sean, makes for such a great focal point as the films protagonist; White is comfortable with setting the awkward comedic style and generates a charismatic lead throughout. Alice May Connolly, who played Casey, has a bunch of chemistry with White and develops an on-screen romance that feels genuine to watch; I like the amount of heart and optimism that comes from this role. Rima Te Wiata, who played Janice, is hilarious as the shallow smalltown reporter looking to make her bestseller mark; the ability Te Wiata has of taking the spotlight effortlessly and with a little bit of deliberate force makes the character all the better to watch. Byron Coll, who played Tony, is one of the characters who is almost consistently stealing the show; the way Coll lifts up Malcolm's character consistently or is confessing how much he toes the line in his police duties makes this role a delight. Peter Hambleton, who played George, grounds the film as a weary husband to Malcolm's obsessive role; watching Hambleton delicately and insistently navigate scenes in which he explores how the case has impacted their relationship is brilliant. Jeremy Randerson and Gabe McDonnell, who played the Magazine Editors for Women R Us, are one of my favourite comedic duos in the feature; this pair manages to inhabit the shallow, vicious and ironic nature of the gossip rag world.

However, the best performance came from Robyn Malcolm, who played Pam. I really liked how seriously stoic and fixed on her target this former cop turned private investigator/adventure park owner was. Malcolm really found her way into this stubborn mindset of doggedly pursuing a goal and letting that invade every character moment she had. There are several scenes in which Pam is in a situation not necessarily suited to her straight-edged demeanour but it is this point of difference that enhances her comedic value. I also think Malcolm's skill as a performer lifts the dramatic narrative too; you see this when she emotionally re-enacts the crime within the former crime scene, providing commentary and reactions as she goes. This is a role that inspires some of the best humour in the film but also marks this feature as a step above any other comedy you're going to see this year.

This film really takes it's time feeling out how it presents comedy at first, tending to linger on long pauses for the sake of ensuring the audience absorbs the joke and enhancing the awkward tone. However, there are a number of times when the film doesn't always manage this timing well and it can result in scenes that drag on and in some instances, you lose the power of a punchline. The editing follows this on-again, off-again presentation; sometimes hitting a perfect flow and other times not really knowing when to make a cut. I also thought The Town lost itself in its dramatic narrative at one given point, trying to present conflict within the film with a pregnancy scare. While it handled themes of abortion appropriately, I really felt the film muddied its two main characters with a storyline that felt more soap opera than clever storytelling.

Aaron Cortesi and Loren Taylor, who played Alex and Jules respectively, are the de facto 'friend' characters to the protagonist but he relationship isn't very well explored most of the time; Cortesi and White don't do anything to make their interactions unique or exciting while Taylor's role never gets the opportunity to be explored in great detail. Amelia Reid, who played Amanda, really struggles to play a character with any trace of subtlety; Reid's scene was led entirely by Malcolm and she (Reid) clearly struggled to keep up. Jack Sergent, who played Harold, really didn't do much to hide the fact he was the films ultimate antagonist; Sergent played a toneless, flat character that held little energy around Malcolm and Hambleton's performances. Catherine Wilkin and Peter McCauley, who played Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Robert respectively, tended to stray towards the generic when it came to the estranged elderly relatives; Wilkin in particular, had a scene that just felt very stilted in which she reunited with her on-screen grandson (White).