Director: Robert Sarkies
Writer: Fiona Samuel
Stars: Melanie Lynskey, Robyn Malcolm, Lucy Lawless
Synopsis: In the aftermath of an explosion that rocked the Pike River Mine and took 29 lives, two women step up to fight for accountability.
The justice system in many nations is more about stamina than justice. It’s about having the strength to go on and on without any progress or without any guarantees of success. Film simplifies the process quite a bit. It gives us the quickest route, but it’s not always the most fulfilling. In many court room dramas, there are blustering speeches, shocking testimonies, and showboating attorneys on both sides. We often see the people involved through the lens of their case and not as people in the worst situations of their life. This is what makes Pike River a far more compelling narrative.
Writer Fiona Samuel’s script eschews the lawyers and the big courtroom scenes to instead focus entirely on the people affected by the case. The way Pike River unfolds is through the eyes of Anna (Melanie Lynskey) and Sonya (Robyn Malcolm). We watch as they helplessly watch. We feel their frustration at the double speak and the unfulfilled promises. We feel heartened by the drastic actions they take. All they seek is closure, which shouldn’t be that hard to come by.
Pike River can lag between bouts of legal and protest actions. There are some scenes that feel as if they could have been played out in a phone call or a quick expository conversation. The resolution that the real life Anna and Sonya were finally granted took about eight years, so it’s understandable that there would be waiting in film time as well. It just feels as if this waiting also becomes a rehashing of information that is already established. Though, the time does have an extraordinary outcome for the narrative of the film and that is the friendship between Anna and Sonya.
Friends are often made in the trials we face as humans. It’s a prickly start for their relationship, but they see each other in the grief they share. They understand each other and build something strong between them. There’s a phenomenal scene that director Robert Sarkies builds that shows the friendship at its best. It’s a simple setup, just a cafe scene with cuts between Anna on one side and Sonya on the other. As they attempt to understand the legalese they’ve been subject to that day a misspoken phrase leads to a memory of their men and the flatulence they let off. It’s a funny scene in the midst of a tough time. It’s a shorthand for camaraderie and it fits so well because talking about cutting the cheese is a great way to cut the tension of the constant striving for justice.
Scenes like the one above wouldn’t work without the incredible acting of both leads. Melanie Lynskey is always good because she’s the woman you never suspect. She’s the woman who looks like she takes what she’s given, but she surprises you every time. She’s able to be fiery, but she has a delicate vulnerability to her. As Anna, she has a tremendous timing for biting remarks and yet is able to break your heart with a simple glance.
Robyn Malcolm is an actress who understands that balance is that everything is happening all at once. She’s adept at the blistering put downs and the issues with self-confidence. Her face is so alive and expressive that it’s a joy to watch her emote. She carries Sonya’s outward toughness, but never hides her inner softness. It’s a perfect expression of grief and tenacity.
Pike River is a film that takes its time. In some ways that makes for a difficult film to sit through, in others it makes for a more compelling and fulfilling narrative to be with. It’s a film that keeps its eyes on the humans at the heart of the legal battle and is all the better for it. Add into that two powerful and stellar performances and you’ve got a very intriguing watch that will keep you glued just to see what possible wriggling these corporate and political goons will come up with to leave their promises unfulfilled.
