Separation City

Director: Paul Middleditch
Cast: Joel Edgerton, Rhona Mitra, Thomas Kretschmann, Alan Lovell and Danielle Cormack
Releasing in cinemas: 4 March 2010
Rated: MA 15+

Sex, lies, and sheep

Separation City is an offbeat romantic comedy/drama from New Zealand, being an ironic view of love, marriage, and sexual hang-ups set in Wellington. Here a small group of people are put under the microscope at the time when their initial passions have grown chilly. The script is from ex-political journalist Tom Scott, and the film is helmed by Paul Middleditch. While well-intentioned, the result is sometimes uneven although the best scenes are very funny indeed.

Simon (Joel Edgerton) speech writer and advisor to government minister Archie Boyle (Alan Lovell), while his wife Pam (Danielle Cormack) prefers to stay home with the kids. Simon’s finding his wife less than enthusiastic in the bedroom, which affects his own performance.Simon spots new arrival in town the lusty Katrien (Rhona Mitra) incredibly a cello player in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, who's having a difficult time with her womanizer boyfriend Klaus (Thomas Kretschmann), a free-spirited, pot smoking artist. To flesh out the plot we have a group of mildly eccentric local characters providing additional comic scenes especially in men's self-help meetings.

Simon - wildly attracted to Katrien - seeks an opportunity to seduce her when they are both in Berlin; she to visit her mother, he to assist the minister deliver an important speech. Regrettably Archie has planned a surprise for Simon during the stay over, which really sets the cat among the pigeons. For poor Simon, things go from bad to worse in what could be, by this stage, a French bedroom farce.

Joel Edgerton (The Square) does well as the romantically confused Simon, his oft-steamy scenes with the luscious Rhona Mitra have both humour and a touch of pathos. Mitra is probably best known as the sultry Tara in Boston Legal. She’d be a wonderful acquisition to any orchestra if she could only play that cello.

Thomas Kretschmann (The Young Victoria) gets the most from his philandering artist character, while New Zealand actor Danielle Cormack (River Queen) has her work cut out keeping up with the imported talent. Fortunately the crass minister Archie, as played by Alan Lovell (Russian Doll), is a great creation with just a whiff of Barry Humphries - he brightens every appearance even to earnestly conversing with his secretary’s breasts.

There are limp patches along the way - the script is not always sharp although littered with good one liners, but falls into the old trap of ho-hum voice-over. This however is offset by some really funny scenes, especially in the film's second half at the Berlin Hotel, and even a dark gag about sheep brings a smile. Direction by Paul Middleditch (Terra Nova) (possibly due to the script) tends to wander off target and prevents the picture reaching the levels that it should. Cinematography makes most of scenic views but image quality varies somewhat. The production values seem to be stretched.

Separation City still comes off as a pleasant night’s entertainment with an obscure charm; perhaps due to the New Zealand sheep and the secretary's deep cleavage.

John Bale