Florida's Film, Television and the Arts Magazine
Pike River - Movie Review
In 2010, there were two horrific mining disasters in the world. Do any of you remember the Pike River coal mine disaster? Unless you’re a Kiwi, it may have earned just a mention on your local news, as opposed to the Chilean collapse the same year, which trapped 33 miners for 69 days. The 29 men who lost their lives in the New Zealand mining explosion also deserve to be remembered, and Pike River honors their memory, sacrifice, and the shattered lives of their survivors.
It’s a story of two women, wife Anna Osborne and mom Sonya Rockhouse, whose husband Milt, and son Ben went 5,000 feet down into the coal-dark pit and never came back up.
The film lingers on small details that fill you with sadness. The board on which the miners hang their ID badges so those on the surface know who is crewing that day, before they enter shuttles to take them into the darkness. A silent, lingering shot on the forbidding maw of the mine entrance. Articles of clothing and gear belonging to the men who died, are placed by survivors on wooden crossbeams outside the mine, to deter the family-owned cement company from permanently sealing the entrance. These women, and all the families, are adamant that their loved one’s bodies won’t be left ‘where the rain never falls and the sun never shines’, even if all they reclaim are ashes.
Helplessness, anger and betrayal are clearly expressed to us through Anna and Sonya; they eventually become the media’s ‘face’ for those affected by the disaster. One of Rockhouse’s (Robyn Malcolm) sons survives, while Osborne (Melanie Lynskey) feels she’s lost ‘her entire world’. The women initially see themselves as adversaries, measuring their losses against one another. Survivors feel both guilty and ignored; each family looking for someone to blame. Eventually the two women become united in their grief and determination and form a strong friendship. A friendship which is later put to the test when a deadly secret is revealed.
As the film was shot on location at the actual Pike River site, the producers were intent on respecting the weight of the tragedy. An unbelievable number of years and events elapse between the day of the gas explosion and the end of the film: an endless inquest, opposing court decisions, intrusive media coverage, managerial lies, a revealing series of damning photographs and corporate proposals which never take into account the feelings of the families. For much of Pike River, answers always lead to more questions – and the path to justice looks as dark as a dungeon. Keep Pike River on your radar for the strong performances by both Lynskey and Malcolm. If you're facing dragons, you definitely want friends like these in your corner.
Pike River is currently streaming on a number of platforms.
