Smash Palace

A New Zealand film about the collapse of a marriage. Al used to be a racing driver. Now he runs a wrecking yard in the middle of nowhere and spends all his time with cars. His wife Jacqui is French; she accepted this life and can no longer stand it. She decides to leave. Al cannot accept it and his reactions get further out of hand. What is really at stake between them is their daughter Georgie. The film's strength is that it takes no side. Al is not a likeable man; what he does is frightening and the narrative does not soften it. But the woman's decision is not offered as heroism either. Each believes they are in the right and there is a child in between. The setting is part of the story: the yard, the wrecked cars and the empty land carry the character's state of mind. Bruno Lawrence plays Al, in a performance counted among the most-cited in New Zealand cinema. Roger Donaldson directed. The film drew attention outside the country and began the director's international career. A strong example for anyone who likes family drama and hard character studies. Before you watch, know this: the film takes up the abduction of a child and the tension is stretched to an uncomfortable length.