Jinx Sister

Aroview: Tidy homeland drama finds Americanized ex-pat Wiseman returning to New Zealand to reconcile with her elder sister (Nash), seemingly happily married and raising kids in South Auckland.

Earnestly employing the ‘Secrets and Lies’ model of slow-burning skeletons in the closet, this features two strong, divergent female performances and a down-to-earth locality shot primarily in Manurewa. Although not delivering the knockout dramatic pay-off that its sisterly tension suggests, the film’s favouring of subtleties over big moments is a welcome reprieve.