‘HEAD SOUTH’ NEW ZEALAND PUNK MOVIE GETS LONDON PREMIERE
Presented by the Rebel Reel Cine Club at 100 Club, 100 Oxford Street – Sunday 13 October 2024
Richard David previews what looks like a fantastic new movie ..
Set in Christchurch, New Zealand during the post-Sex Pistols era of 1979, Jonathan Ogilvie’s semi-autobiographical drama ‘Head South’, is a touching and sometimes dark rites-of-passage portrait, in which sixteen year old Angus takes his first steps into an intoxicating new world.
With his elder brother Rory already living in the Kings Rd, London, Angus receives a ‘Public Image’ 45 from him and is immediately lured into the orbit of ‘Middle Earth Records’, a small Independent record shop in which he meets a local Punk singer who fronts a band named The Cursed.
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As the New Wave casts it’s seductive spell, it’s not long before Angus is having his curly locks shorn into an appropriate sometimes-spiked Punk hairdo and indulging in his own fantasies of becoming a bass player in a band. It’s a somewhat fraught journey of tribulation with Ed Oxenbould – as Angus – effectively combining a sense of gormless vulnerability and innocent charm with each further step. Ogilvie coaxes an impressive performance from Oxenbauld, one that is both cute and sometimes disturbing.
Initially mocked by his schoolmates, Angus somehow finds himself posing naked for a gay photographer in exchange for the loan of a Fender Precision Bass, this a neat nod to the sleazier side of the original Soho Punk energies. Armed with his new instrument, he swiftly composes his first rudimentary song and it’s not long before he’s heading – somewhat reluctantly – towards his first gig supporting ‘The Curse’.
His creative prospects improve via a link up with a slightly older girl – Kirsten, played by Stella Bennett – who doubles up on her employment as a chemist shop assistant, with the ability to play a few guitar chords and hold a note vocally. Elements which the newly christened ‘Daleks’ most certainly require. To put things extremely mildly.
As these momentous life moments occur, at home things are not going well. Angus’s father is in the midst of a mid-life crisis and his mother has decided she needs an extended break. As a sense of gloom and despondency – coupled with technical catastrophes – pervades their domestic environment, Angus’s need for salvation via his band only increases. Meanwhile, in between certain ‘supernatural’ activities, his father desperately plots to win back his estranged wife, a course of action eventually leading to disastrous consequences.
Artistically, ‘Head South’ has an almost tangible feel of polarisation with a small cast and almost claustrophobic atmospheres. We see little of urban Christchurch or New Zealand culturally or geographically, but somehow this lack of wider visual stimulation works. The ultimate realisation that all is not quite as it seems regarding the aura of ‘cool’ projected by those he’s attracted to, dovetails neatly with these confinements, underlining the fact that this is a story of youthful release. In this manner, ‘Head South’ connects aptly with the overall concept of Punk Rock.
Script-wise, there are some nice references to culturally symbolic factors, these including certain Lou Reed lyrical couplets and famous debut gigs by iconic bands like Siouxie And The Banshees. The soundtrack includes recordings from – amongst others – Public Image Ltd, The Slits and TV Smith.
Apparently reflecting autobiographical aspects, the film ends with an extremely hard-hitting emotional punch, one that leaves us in no uncertain doubt that Angus’s destiny now probably lies overseas in the more authentic setting of late seventies, early eighties Post-Punk/New Romantic London. But that’s another story.
Written and Directed by Jonathan Ogilvie and Starring Ed Oxenbould, Marton Csokas and Stella Bennett.
‘Head South’ will be shown at the legendary 100 CLUB in Oxford Street, on Sunday 13th October. Doors open at 2 pm with the show running through until 7 pm. It will be accompanied with live sets from New Zealand Punk Band Desperate Measures and Mark Vennis and Different Place.
To be sure of entry to what promises to be a great afternoon, here’s the Ticket Link
All words: Richard David
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