Scarfies

August. 05,1999      
Rating:
6.3
Trailer Synopsis Cast

This dark comedy is set in Dunedin, New Zealand. A university student finds an old "abandoned" house and proceeds to invite other students to share. It even has running electricity. But what is the catch?

Willa O'Neill as  Emma
Taika Waititi as  Alex
Charlie Bleakley as  Graham
Neill Rea as  Scott
Jon Brazier as  Kevin

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Reviews

Micransix
1999/08/05

Crappy film

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Afouotos
1999/08/06

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

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Kien Navarro
1999/08/07

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

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Gary
1999/08/08

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

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aishia_the_slayer
1999/08/09

I love this movie. It's funny and real and i'm sure most kiwi's can relate to it. The whole moving away from home to go to Uni in Otago or somewhere else. It's cleaver and I love the part when they superglue the guy's mouth and hands together and lock him in the basement is just... classic. I'm really thinking about buying it on DVD. It was on TV2 here in New Zealand on a saturday and it pulled in more viewers than most of the sunday night blockbuster movies that come from the US this year. Except I can't turn on my fellow moo-loo's OTAGO SUCKS!!! *Rings cow bell* sorry you would get it if you are a kiwi.

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Magnus-39
1999/08/10

Scarfies was a great movie from a very small film making country. Done on a relatively small budget and full of imagery and lanuage of Dunedin students living in virtual poverty; it is a witty and black comedy.The plot centres around five students who take over an abandoned house and make it their own. They discover in the basement a huge drug planation left by the previous owner, which they decide to sell for moderate profit. Their life style improves, and relationships develop.All goes well until the return of the drug crop's owner.A fantastic soundtrack of New Zealand music, well worth checking out.

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Dom-37
1999/08/11

This film is another fine example of what New Zealand filmmakers can do when they hold the audiences' enjoyment above their own artistic w**k-ness.The Sarkies Brothers have created an extremely (un)pleasant film that isn't really about University life at all, but about those staple cinematic conventions -paranoia, murder and er, flatting.I strongly urge any one not from New Zealand to check out this little gem. God knows when it'll get released anywhere else though. I hope it gets onto screens in the U.S.One quibble however, three times in the film, characters describe each other as 'jerks'. Honestly, who in New Zealand uses that word with a straight face? It's such a sitcom-ism. 'Dick' would have been much more suitable in my eyes.

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leeman-3
1999/08/12

Well, what can I say. I went to the preview hoping to see a good New Zealand film, some dark comedy and thrilling moments. Scarfies has certainly done it for me.There is no better place to set a film about students than in the "s***hole" that was chosen. The house has a character of its own, definitely lending itself to the dark images created by the Sarkies brothers. The lines and images are stereotypical, but then, are so not, and they work I tell you.Many a time I found myself having a great laugh - along with the rest of the audience, the s**t scene, the 'conquest', all just added to my enjoyment. The darkness, and hilarity? of this made the film all the more special.Scarfies is a must for New Zealand film of the year, and I'm sure it will go on to bigger and better things over the bright blue ocean. If you see any film this year, see this one, it has it all, so just do it.

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