AFF Preview: The Map Reader

Though most people now equate "New Zealand film" with Lord of the Rings, the Kiwis have always done drama right. Jane Campion's The Piano, Niki Caro's Whale Rider and Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures all spring to mind as standout New Zealand-made features. And this year, the Austin Film Festival will offer a first look at another strong NZ drama, The Map Reader.

Starring AFI (Australian Film Institute) award winner Rebecca Gibney, and talented newcomers Mikaila Hutchinson, Jordan Selwyn, and Bonnie Soper (who you may remember from SXSW '07 selection The Devil Dared Me To), The Map Reader is a quiet, affecting coming-of-age tale set in a small New Zealand town.

The film follows Micheal, an introverted teenage boy who, despite never having traveled, has been obsessed with maps his entire life. Living a mundane existence in a backwater town, Micheal becomes bored with his so-called friends and frustrated with the trials of adolescence.

After beginning relationships with two attractive girls--one a high school classmate, the other a 20-year-old blind woman--Michael's life begins to spiral out of control, and he's forced to make some difficult decisions about the course he's plotted.