In 2012, after over a year of being immersed in the world of zombies and the resulting film, I was creatively looking to switch gears and sink my teeth into something new. I was eager to explore a different genre and style of filmmaking that I have always enjoyed and admired. The Richard Linklater-esque exploration of human relationships - raw, complicated, real and without the glamour and perfection of conventional Hollywood. This is where the idea for Older initially sprung from, and over the next year I set about developing the story and writing the script.

I was determined to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself artistically and that's what I constantly had in the back of mind as I was writing.  Wherever I would usually take a right, I would go left. The emotional truth I'd usually shy away from or sidestep I would instead confront and explore. As a result I feel very connected to and a part of this story- it is born from my own personal experiences and as the old saying goes "write what you know." What I know is, everyone gets older. And at some stage, everyone is faced with the decision of whether to accept that, or deny reality and try to pretend that you can be young forever. The concept of how we evolve as human beings and mature both through the passage of time and our intimate relationships is a powerful one.

 

While I think my film is different from what the rest of the NZ film industry is doing, it's definitely a story that everyone can see a little piece of themselves within.  So I'm very excited to share it with you and the world the film. You could say it's been 36 years in the making.