Documentary The Man on the Island is a character study of Colin McLaren, a highly quotable 77-year-old who in the 1970s moved to Rakino, a tiny island in the Hauraki Gulf. McLaren opens up to director (and sometime neighbour) Simon Mark-Brown about his life and inspirations — plus his decision to live off the grid, only venturing back to Auckland to replenish vital supplies. Mark-Brown partially shot the documentary during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, and its theme of self-isolation is especially resonant in pandemic times. Mark-Brown's CV includes feature The Catch and wine documentary A Seat at the Table.
Reviews
Memorable, crazy movie
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one