A surprise feelgood coming of age movie, HEAD SOUTH is a sleeper hit worth awakening.
Written & directed by Jonathan Ogilvie, HEAD SOUTH stars Ed Oxenbould as Angus, a teenage fantasist and chrysalis Christchurch punk rock legend, circa 1979.
When Angus receives a warped single sent from his brother now living in London it’s the beginning of a whole new era in his rich speculative life. He cuts his hair, acquires a guitar and is determined to start a band, even though his musical prowess is less than zero.
Angus discovers that Kirsten, the sales assistant at the chemist, is a guitarist and convinces her to join him in this screwball adventure. Meanwhile, Angus’ strained relationship with his dad, Gordon, continues. Gordon has bought himself a Flymo, a sport car and a cravat, in a bid to woo his estranged wife.
Clairvoyance, aviation disaster, posing for porno and passing off parsley for pot pepper this gem of a picture, with all the strands of spaghetti story sauced with a nourishing narrative.
Oxenbould excels in the central role of Angus, torn between twin poles. He wants to be magnetic; he needs to be true. He’s got a lot going on. Against this background of conflict, Angus is propelled into an exciting underground world of new music and creative expression, and must navigate between the authentic and the merely superficial, and the actor parlays this perfectly in his performance.
Singer/songwriter Benee (Stella Bennett) makes a striking debut film role in her portrayal of Kirsten, naturally magnetic, brimming with controlled energy.
Márton Csókás is marvellous as the confused and conflicted Gordon, trying hard to play the disciplinarian dad but distracted by the domestic schism of a spouse run away from the house.
HEAD SOUTH deserves to head north at the box office, another Kiwi crowd pleaser with a quicksilver comic charm.
