I have never heard of Janet Frame or any of her books but I found this account of her life very moving. There are moments of beautifully acted grief and the sense of childhood pain is constant. I found the fairly obvious boot polish on her teeth, as an attempt to portray decay, a little distracting, but overall I recommend this as a moving biography.
This film was laborious to watch. Being biographical, there was no plot, which in itself was not unexpected but the film just didn't take off. Any twists were obvious a mile off.
Jane Campion's second film was also serialised in three-parts as a TV series in some countries. It's a spirited and very moving tale of a tragic soul who found her voice through literature. One of the very best films to come out of New Zealand. Certainly top 5! On the technical side - this DVD doesn't have subtitles for those that are hard-of-hearing.
Masterpiece.