Shopping

2013, New Zealand, directed by Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland

A very decent coming-of-age story: although this is well-trodden narrative ground, the juvenile performances are really excellent, and the storyline is careful to steer clear of sentimentality, with virtually all of the characters possessed of more than a few rough edges. There's also a very strong sense of the reality of lives in a particular place at a particular time -- the details of work and of familial relationships and dysfunctions are highly convincing, and set the stage for some moments of real emotional heft.