Review of Mr. Pip (2012) by Marc " — 22 Oct 2013

I've seen the trailer for Mr Pip so many times it almost felt like I'd seen it already. Director Adamson re-cut the film, apparently to tone down some of the violence, which was (it was felt) off-putting to US and European audiences unfamiliar with the grim events that occurred during the Bougainville insurrection.

Nevertheless, the violence that remains is indelibly powerful and shocking - this is no easy watch. Similarly, while it is by no means necessary to have read Lloyd Jones' award-winning novel, a certain familiarity with Great Expectations is advantageous, and it is a sad fact that this may be a declining minority of cinema-goers.

In any case, Hugh Laurie is winningly noble and engaging as the itinerant teacher Watts, and the youthful Xzannjah Matsi is strong as the insightful, questing Matilda - bringing to mind the much younger Quvenzhané Wallis' performance in last year's Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Another, albeit gentler comparison is to The Orator - a film that depicts life in New Zealand's Pacific neighbours with a commendable honesty. It's a sad fact that Mr Pip is unlikely to reach the audience it deserves, but as an experiment in bringing an almost unfilmable book to the screen, it deserves great credit.