Vigil

Though often in danger of sinking into a heavy mythical mud of its own making, Ward's would-be visionary account of life on a remote New Zealand sheep farm does achieve occasional moments of striking visual beauty. Following the death of farmer Justin Peers, his wife Liz (Stewart) and daughter Lisa (Kay) labour on with the help of senile grandfather (Kerr) and Ethan (Whitten), an itinerant hunter who hires on as help. Ward creates a powerful sense of the struggle between the farmers, their machines, and the elemental forces of nature, while the sexual tension between Liz and Ethan, and Lisa's strange dreams, suggest deeper mysteries. Ultimately, though, the images and rather portentous soundtrack tend to hint at more than they actually deliver.