Features

New Zealand’s best known film-making duo Robert and Duncan Sarkies have teamed up with Oscar winner Bret McKenzie and Aussie comedian Hamish Blake, of Hamish and Andy fame, for their latest Kiwi movie, Two Little Boys. Joe Stockman indulged in an early screening of the film and caught up with Bret and the boys for a gab prior to the movie’s release next week.

The Sarkies brothers are back on New Zealand celluloid once again with their black “bromance” comedy Two Little Boys. Set in early 1990s Invercargill, the film begins with Nige (McKenzie) accidentally killing a Norwegian backpacker. Unable to deal with the body alone, he’s forced to turn to his ex-best mate Deano (Blake) for help. They’re ex-best mates because Nige has left Deano after years of doing everything together. The story devolves into an epic adventure around the Catlins, as they try to get rid of the body and as Deano attempts to rekindle their friendship.

Deano and Nige can seem a little bit simple, especially when contrasted with the simplistic pop philosophy of the third wheel of their adventure, Nige’s new mate Gav. But the Sarkies brothers say the characters have real weight behind them. “The characters are all quite complex, but they appear stupid on the surface. These two characters, who are still little kids at heart, are trying to figure out these complex emotions, and trying to figure out how to end this long relationship.”

Deano is a big fish in a little pond, perfectly happy living out his life in a small flat in a small town, working a small job. Nige is looking at stepping out into the wider world, and Gav is the gatekeeper who is showing him new ways of thinking. Deano identifies Gav as Nige’s real problem, and decides he has to take him out to keep Nige for himself.

McKenzie had been interested in working with the Sarkies brothers on a project for a while, especially after being disappointed by the quality of the scripts that had come his way in Hollywood. “I’d been reading a bunch of fairly uninteresting Hollywood films, and I wasn’t very excited about them, then Rob and Duncan sent me this script, and I was really keen.” Though that’s not how Duncan remembers it: “Bret had been stalking us for a while, it was getting a bit embarrassing. Once he started having success with the Conchords we realised we could probably use him somehow.”

Adding Hamish, half of Australia’s best-loved comedy duo, to the cast could prove to be a masterstroke, especially when it comes to selling the film to an Aussie audience, which Robert recognises as key to making Two Little Boys a commercial success. “Any filmmaker wants as many people to see their film as possible, that’s always the point. But we weren’t willing to make compromises to make that happen. We would love for it to be an NZ and Australian hit, and a cult hit around the rest of the world.”

The biggest barrier to Australian box-office success might be the quintessential Kiwi-ness of the entire film. From the mullets to the amazing early 90s clothes, it’s as Kiwi as buzzy bees. Hamish enjoyed the experience of filming in Southland – apparently he enjoyed cheese rolls so much that he put on a few kilos. But mostly he enjoyed the mullet. So much so, in fact, that he had it removed in one piece so that he could rent it out as a wig to raise funds for charity. That’s right, it’s even on YouTube:
http://youtu.be/jze1NsH2RE4

Oh, and once you’ve finished watching that, go see the movie. Supporting the Kiwi film industry is important and all that, but in the end it’s worth seeing Two Little Boys just for laughs.