A Song of Good

Colour, DIGIBETA
New Zealand, 2007, 84 min
Section: Another View

Synopsis

A Song of Good is a raw drama in which director Gregory King fully avails himself of elements familiar from his previous work – social criticism mixed with a fair dose of black humour. 28-year-old Gary’s life has long been defined by periodic swings between alcohol binges, ever-larger doses of heroin and more or less coincidental interludes of sweaty sex with nearly comatose partners. The turning point paradoxically only comes when Gary finally hits rock bottom and commits a crime. This prompts him to the decision to become a better man, and to this end, he intends to do a good deed. It’s never easy to change your life – especially if one is surrounded on all sides by a dysfunctional family and a band of homeless cronies. The attempt at redemption, however, looks hopeless from the start in a barren Auckland suburb, where violence circulates just as impersonally as money and drugs...

About the director

Gregory King is a man of many trades – in addition to acting and production work, he also made his living for several years educating juvenile delinquents, among other things. He has been making his own films since 1999. His first three shorts (Pop, ...Teach You A Lesson and Junk) were awarded at international film festivals in Melbourne and Locarno. In 2002 King was declared New Filmmaker of the Year by the Screen Producers and Directors Guild of New Zealand; a year later his low-budget feature film debut Christmas earned him a number of national film prizes. This success brought with it the opportunity for King to complete his film studies in Europe at the Maurits Binger Film Institute in Amsterdam. He is currently living in Berlin.