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In My Father's Den
Promotional poster for In My Father's Den
Directed by	Brad McGann
Produced by	Trevor Haysom, Dixie Linder
Written by	Maurice Gee (novel), Brad McGann
Starring	Matthew Macfadyen, Emily Barclay, Miranda Otto
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	7 October 2004 (New Zealand)
Running time	128 min
Language	English
Budget	~ NZ$7,000,000
IMDb profile

In My Father's Den is a 2004 New Zealand film written and directed by Brad McGann and starring Matthew Macfadyen and Emily Barclay. It is based on the novel of the same title by Maurice Gee. The film was released in October 2004 to glowing reviews.^[1]

When his father dies, Paul Prior (Matthew Macfadyen), a disillusioned and battle weary war photographer, decides to return home to an isolated land-locked town in New Zealand. His brother, Andrew (Colin Moy), a local ostrich farmer, is caught off-guard by Paul's sudden re appearance after seventeen years away. Worlds apart, they barely recognise each other. Andrew, a pious man, pressures Paul into staying to help sort out the sale of their father's cottage and the adjoining orchard.

Reluctantly re-visiting the dilapidated family property, he discovers the old den, tucked away in the equipment shed. It belonged to his orchardist father, Jeff (Matthew Chamberlain), who away from his puritanical wife Iris (Vanessa Riddell), had secretly harboured a love of wine, literature and free thinking philosophy. When Paul as a child had accidentally stumbled upon this wondrous book-lined universe, he had been included in his father's secret, promising never to tell anyone about it.

Paul sets about clearing up and stumbles upon sixteen year-old Celia (Emily Barclay) in the den. She has been using the derelict hide-away as a private haven to write her stories and to fuel her dream of living in Europe, far away from the small town she longs to escape. Paul curtly sends her away, unaware that she is the daughter of his first girlfriend, Jackie (Jodie Rimmer), now the local butcher.

His former principal persuades him to take up a temporary relief position at the local high school teaching journalism. Celia, one of his students has a passion for writing and thirst for experience of the world. Intrigued, Paul allows her to visit him at home. It isn't long, however, before their growing friendship comes under scrutiny from a judgmental Andrew and an envious Jackie. The two are forbidden to see each other. Despite the warnings, Celia continues to visit and Paul encourages her in her ambitions as a writer.

And then, in the middle of winter, Celia goes missing. Paul was the last to see her, but denies knowing her whereabouts. He faces not only mounting suspicions and violent threats within the township itself, but his own wavering doubts about his involvement with Celia. Paul, now concerned for Celia's safety, admits she'd made him promise not to tell a soul about her ticket to Spain, on the morning she went missing. When Jackie discovers a packed suitcase beneath Celia's bed, along with a passport, the urgency of the police enquiry is raised. As the painful truth gradually emerges, Paul is forced to confront the family tragedy and betrayal that he ran from as a youth, and to face the grievous consequences of silence and secrecy that has surrounded his entire adult life.

The film won the Fipresci Prize at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival and the Mercedes Benz Youth Jury Prize at the 52nd San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain in the same year, and the Special Jury Prize at the Seattle International Film Festival in 2005. It became one of the top 10 grossing New Zealand films.^[2].

The website rottentomatoes.com, which compiles mostly North American reviews, gives the film a 100 per cent "fresh" rating, meaning consistently positive reviews, and with an average rating of 7.2 out of 10.

The latter figure is the average from seven reviews.

1. ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/in_my_fathers_den/
2. ^ http://www.thefilm.co.nz/biography.htm

• Official site
• In My Father's Den at the Internet Movie Database
• Sydney Morning Herald movie review

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