Mean Girls meets Face/Off to absolutely wild results in Sasha Rainbow’s gory and uniquely Kiwi black comedy about a Chinese student who finds a new way of achieving popularity one body at a time.
To say this film packs a punch would be an understatement. Not for the faint of heart, Grafted deftly handles serious themes with care, humour and complete and utter carnage.
Our young protagonist, Wei, has had an extremely rough start in life. The film opens with her father’s horrifically bloody death as he attempts to rid himself of a hereditary facial disfigurement. Many years later, still reeling from the loss, and the shame of her own facial disfigurement, Wei is rejected by her family in China. Desperate to leave, she gains a university scholarship in New Zealand. She’s packed off to Auckland to live with her aunt and cousin Angela, who was born in New Zealand and treats Wei with embarrassment and disgust. Her aunt means well but has bigger priorities, leaving the cousins to end up at each other’s throats – literally.
Producers:
Murray Francis, Leela Menon
Screenplay:
Mia Maramara, Hweiling Ow, Lee Murray, Sasha Rainbow
Cinematography:
Tammy Williams