“Amali” by Ruby Harris

Documentary

Jan 12

“Amali” is an honest glimpse into a 13 year olds world as she speaks to her fears and dreams through a summer roadtrip in rural Aotearoa.

STATEMENT

"The time-tested and proved poetry of the road provides a scrolling backdrop to Ruby Harris's short film 'Amali: Bundling into a van the colour of bleached bone, Amali, who has just turned thirteen, tells us what she's afraid of, and whether or not she believes in God.

She is on the cusp - the verge, the precipice, the brink. This unflinching portrait is caught between childhood and adulthood. The setting is non-descript - a quiet pool hall in a sleepy rural pub, sequined mountains hemming a water-body, and a cheap booking.com motel balcony.

We are reminded of the bubbling feeling of being thirteen, when it is equally plausible to dream of becoming a hairdresser or an activist that 'changes the world'; and the hazy days written into our lore spent brushing our teeth at the water's edge."

- Words by Constance McDonald

My therapist last year told me if I had 10 days left on this world what movies would I make? This was it. With a $200 food card, a full tank of fuel and my parents old 90's Toyota hiace we went on a road trip last summer. I asked if I could make a film interviewing her about her life and we can keep it as a journal entry, a memory of our holiday and something to share what a special person she is. So here it is.”

-Ruby Harris, Director