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In My Father's Den (film)
Encyclopedia
In My Father's Den is a 2004
New Zealand film
written and directed
by Brad McGann
and starring Matthew Macfadyen
and Emily Barclay
. It is based on the novel of the same title
by Maurice Gee
. The film was released in October 2004 to glowing reviews.
Reluctantly revisiting the dilapidated family property, he discovers the old den tucked away in the equipment shed. It belonged to his orchardist father Jeff (Matthew Chamberlain) who, away from his puritanical wife Iris (Vanessa Riddell), had secretly harboured a love of wine, literature and free-thinking philosophy. When Paul as a child had accidentally stumbled upon this wondrous booklined universe he had been included in his father's secret, promising never to tell anyone about it.
Paul sets about clearing up and stumbles upon 16-year-old Celia (Emily Barclay) in the den. She has been using the derelict hide-away as a private haven to write her stories and to fuel her dream of living in Europe, far away from the small town she longs to escape. Paul curtly sends her away, unaware that she is the daughter of his first girlfriend Jackie (Jodie Rimmer), now the local butcher.
His former principal persuades him to take up a temporary relief position at the local high school teaching English. Celia, one of his students has a passion for writing and thirst for experience of the world. Intrigued, Paul allows her to visit him at home. It isn't long, however, before their growing friendship comes under scrutiny from a judgemental Andrew and an envious Jackie. He is very protective of Celia, who is doesn't feel like she fits in with the youth culture of the town, and feels unsafe at home with her mother's sleazy boyfriend Gareth (Antony Starr). After Gareth beats her, Paul violently confronts him. The two are forbidden to see each other. Despite the warnings, Celia continues to visit and Paul encourages her in her ambitions as a writer. The relationship seems to be something Paul cherishes, but we see his struggle with intimacy with other women, and his vices in drink and sometimes drugs.
And then, in the middle of winter, Celia goes missing. Paul was the last to see her, but denies knowing her whereabouts. He faces not only mounting suspicions and violent threats within the township itself, but his own wavering doubts about his involvement with Celia. Paul, now concerned for Celia's safety, admits she'd made him promise not to tell a soul about her ticket to Spain, on the morning she went missing. When Jackie discovers a packed suitcase beneath Celia's bed, along with a passport, the urgency of the police enquiry is raised. As the painful truth gradually emerges, Paul is forced to confront the family tragedy and betrayal that he ran from as a youth, and to face the grievous consequences of silence and secrecy that has surrounded his entire adult life.
The rest of the film is shown in flashbacks of Paul's teenage years and intercut with his interactions with Celia. The film documents his suspicion of her parentage, and he calls attention to the fact that she was born to Jackie eight months after he left. Celia finds in his wallet the picture Paul found of Celia as a baby, hidden away in the den, and assumes he is her father. However, it is revealed that her biological father was Paul's father, whom Paul (and his bipolar mother) witnessed having sex in the den as a teenager. Iris shot herself in the river in view of Paul as a result, and is why he left at 17. Andrew was kept in the dark about everything, and did not find out about Jeff and Jackie's affair until Celia was mentioned in Jeff's will. He blames Paul for his lonely upbringing and for leaving him to grow up with Jeff, whom he never connected with (having been extremely close to their mother) and we see him begging Paul to stay as he walks out.
Through confrontations with his nephew Jonathan (who was in love with Celia), and later Andrew, Paul learns of how Penny killed Celia. Jonathan, an aspiring photographer was given a camera by Paul but used it to take pictures of an unknowing Celia; Andrew found them and took the camera and the photos. Penny had stumbled upon them in Andrew's desk, and assumes she was his lover. It wasn't until an angry Andrew saw Celia walking home (the last time Paul saw her, after giving her a ticket to Spain) that he stopped her to inform her of her inheritance. He took her to his house and as he was finding the documents, Penny found her and assumed the worst; through a misunderstanding of what each were talking about - Celia asking if Penny knew she was Andrew's sister, Penny assuming she was mocking her for not knowing she was Andrew's lover - Penny raged and pushed Celia over the balcony. Jonathan calls the police, and Andrew is arrested. Celia's body is found in a river, and after the funeral, Paul burns the den and reconciles with Jackie. The film closes with a flashback to the last time Paul sees Celia; they openly talk about being siblings, and they say goodbye she walks down the road to her untimely death.
, the Mercedes Benz Youth Jury Prize at the 52nd San Sebastián International Film Festival
in Spain in the same year, the Special Jury Prize at the Seattle International Film Festival
in 2005 and the Grand Prix at the 2005 Festival du Film Britannique de Dinard. It became one of the top 10 grossing New Zealand films
.
The latter figure is the average from seven reviews.
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
New Zealand film
Cinema of New Zealand
New Zealand cinema, can refer to films made by New Zealand-based production companies in New Zealand. However, it may also refer to films made about New Zealand by filmmakers from other countries...
written and directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Brad McGann
Brad McGann
Brad McGann MNZM , was a New Zealand film director and screenwriter.McGann was born in New Zealand in 1964. He completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Otago and in 1988 completed a one-year post-graduate course at the Swinburne School of Film and Television in Melbourne...
and starring Matthew Macfadyen
Matthew Macfadyen
David Matthew Macfadyen is an English actor, known for his role as MI5 intelligence officer Tom Quinn in the BBC television drama series Spooks and for starring as Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.In June, 2010 Macfadyen won a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting...
and Emily Barclay
Emily Barclay
Emily Barclay is an English-born, New Zealand AFI award winning actress.-Career:Emily Barclay has performed in a wide variety of film and television roles...
. It is based on the novel of the same title
In My Father's Den
In My Father's Den is a 1972 novel by New Zealand author Maurice Gee.The novel was adapted to film in 2004, written and directed by Brad McGann.-First edition:*In My Father's Den. London: Faber, 1972...
by Maurice Gee
Maurice Gee
Maurice Gee is a New Zealand novelist.-Awards and honors:Gee was awarded the 1978 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel Plumb...
. The film was released in October 2004 to glowing reviews.
Plot
When his father dies, Paul Prior (Matthew Macfadyen), a disillusioned and battle-weary war photographer, decides to return home to an isolated town in the South Island of New Zealand. His brother Andrew (Colin Moy), a local ostrich farmer, is caught off-guard by Paul's sudden reappearance after 17 years away. Worlds apart, they barely recognise each other. Andrew, a pious man, pressures Paul into staying to help sort out the sale of their father's cottage and the adjoining orchard. Andrew is married to the highly religious Penny (Miranda Otto).Reluctantly revisiting the dilapidated family property, he discovers the old den tucked away in the equipment shed. It belonged to his orchardist father Jeff (Matthew Chamberlain) who, away from his puritanical wife Iris (Vanessa Riddell), had secretly harboured a love of wine, literature and free-thinking philosophy. When Paul as a child had accidentally stumbled upon this wondrous booklined universe he had been included in his father's secret, promising never to tell anyone about it.
Paul sets about clearing up and stumbles upon 16-year-old Celia (Emily Barclay) in the den. She has been using the derelict hide-away as a private haven to write her stories and to fuel her dream of living in Europe, far away from the small town she longs to escape. Paul curtly sends her away, unaware that she is the daughter of his first girlfriend Jackie (Jodie Rimmer), now the local butcher.
His former principal persuades him to take up a temporary relief position at the local high school teaching English. Celia, one of his students has a passion for writing and thirst for experience of the world. Intrigued, Paul allows her to visit him at home. It isn't long, however, before their growing friendship comes under scrutiny from a judgemental Andrew and an envious Jackie. He is very protective of Celia, who is doesn't feel like she fits in with the youth culture of the town, and feels unsafe at home with her mother's sleazy boyfriend Gareth (Antony Starr). After Gareth beats her, Paul violently confronts him. The two are forbidden to see each other. Despite the warnings, Celia continues to visit and Paul encourages her in her ambitions as a writer. The relationship seems to be something Paul cherishes, but we see his struggle with intimacy with other women, and his vices in drink and sometimes drugs.
And then, in the middle of winter, Celia goes missing. Paul was the last to see her, but denies knowing her whereabouts. He faces not only mounting suspicions and violent threats within the township itself, but his own wavering doubts about his involvement with Celia. Paul, now concerned for Celia's safety, admits she'd made him promise not to tell a soul about her ticket to Spain, on the morning she went missing. When Jackie discovers a packed suitcase beneath Celia's bed, along with a passport, the urgency of the police enquiry is raised. As the painful truth gradually emerges, Paul is forced to confront the family tragedy and betrayal that he ran from as a youth, and to face the grievous consequences of silence and secrecy that has surrounded his entire adult life.
The rest of the film is shown in flashbacks of Paul's teenage years and intercut with his interactions with Celia. The film documents his suspicion of her parentage, and he calls attention to the fact that she was born to Jackie eight months after he left. Celia finds in his wallet the picture Paul found of Celia as a baby, hidden away in the den, and assumes he is her father. However, it is revealed that her biological father was Paul's father, whom Paul (and his bipolar mother) witnessed having sex in the den as a teenager. Iris shot herself in the river in view of Paul as a result, and is why he left at 17. Andrew was kept in the dark about everything, and did not find out about Jeff and Jackie's affair until Celia was mentioned in Jeff's will. He blames Paul for his lonely upbringing and for leaving him to grow up with Jeff, whom he never connected with (having been extremely close to their mother) and we see him begging Paul to stay as he walks out.
Through confrontations with his nephew Jonathan (who was in love with Celia), and later Andrew, Paul learns of how Penny killed Celia. Jonathan, an aspiring photographer was given a camera by Paul but used it to take pictures of an unknowing Celia; Andrew found them and took the camera and the photos. Penny had stumbled upon them in Andrew's desk, and assumes she was his lover. It wasn't until an angry Andrew saw Celia walking home (the last time Paul saw her, after giving her a ticket to Spain) that he stopped her to inform her of her inheritance. He took her to his house and as he was finding the documents, Penny found her and assumed the worst; through a misunderstanding of what each were talking about - Celia asking if Penny knew she was Andrew's sister, Penny assuming she was mocking her for not knowing she was Andrew's lover - Penny raged and pushed Celia over the balcony. Jonathan calls the police, and Andrew is arrested. Celia's body is found in a river, and after the funeral, Paul burns the den and reconciles with Jackie. The film closes with a flashback to the last time Paul sees Celia; they openly talk about being siblings, and they say goodbye she walks down the road to her untimely death.
Cast
- Matthew MacfadyenMatthew MacfadyenDavid Matthew Macfadyen is an English actor, known for his role as MI5 intelligence officer Tom Quinn in the BBC television drama series Spooks and for starring as Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.In June, 2010 Macfadyen won a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting...
as Paul Prior - Emily BarclayEmily BarclayEmily Barclay is an English-born, New Zealand AFI award winning actress.-Career:Emily Barclay has performed in a wide variety of film and television roles...
as Celia - Colin Moy as Andrew
- Miranda OttoMiranda OttoMiranda Otto is an Australian actress. The daughter of actors Lindsay and Barry Otto and the sister of actress Gracie Otto, she began acting at age eighteen, and has performed in a variety of independent and major studio films....
as Penny - Jodie RimmerJodie RimmerJodie Rimmer is a New Zealand voice and performer actress. Her work includes Xena: Warrior Princess, Young Hercules, Channelling Baby, The Strip, and In My Father's Den.-Awards:...
as Jackie - Vanessa Riddell as Iris
- Matthew ChamberlainMatthew ChamberlainMatthew Chamberlain is a New Zealand actor, who starred in the New Zealand film Black Sheep as Oliver Oldfield. Chamberlain previously co-starred in children's TV program Johnson and Friends as Diesel. Chamberlain is currently starring in the high profile role of Murray Cooper in the TVNZ Soap...
as Jeff - Antony StarrAntony StarrAntony Starr is a New Zealand television actor best known for his dual role as twins Jethro and Van West in New Zealand's hit comedy/drama Outrageous Fortune.-Career:...
as Gareth - Jimmy Keen as Jonathan
Awards
The film won the Fipresci Prize at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival2004 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2004 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 9 through September 18.- Canada First :* CQ2 * I, Claudia * Ill Fated The 2004 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 9 through September 18.- Canada First :* CQ2 (Seek You Too) (Carole Laure)* I, Claudia (Chris...
, the Mercedes Benz Youth Jury Prize at the 52nd San Sebastián International Film Festival
San Sebastián International Film Festival
The San Sebastián International Film Festival is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of San Sebastián .-History:The festival was founded in 1953...
in Spain in the same year, the Special Jury Prize at the Seattle International Film Festival
Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
in 2005 and the Grand Prix at the 2005 Festival du Film Britannique de Dinard. It became one of the top 10 grossing New Zealand films
Cinema of New Zealand
New Zealand cinema, can refer to films made by New Zealand-based production companies in New Zealand. However, it may also refer to films made about New Zealand by filmmakers from other countries...
.
Critical Reaction
The website rottentomatoes.com, which compiles mostly North American reviews, gives the film a 100 per cent "fresh" rating, meaning consistently positive reviews, and with an average rating of 7.2 out of 10.The latter figure is the average from seven reviews.