Fantail

The nights that Tania spends behind the cash register of a petrol station are lonely. The only person she sees, except for the odd customer on the other side of the bulletproof screen, is her boss Rog, at the start and end of every shift.
Despite the loneliness, she is not keen on the company of Dean, the regional manager. Until they get into a conversation about their backgrounds. Whereas blonde Tania likes to stress her Maori roots, Dean – a full-blood Maori – prefers to distance himself from his origins.
Fantail started out as a short monologue for the theatre, written by lead actor Sophie Henderson, the wife of director Curtis Vowell. The film was financed by the New Zealand Film Commission’s Escalator initiative for up-and-coming talent. The modest narrative, which takes place largely in and around the petrol station, tackles big themes such as identity and the chances people have.

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