'Beyond the Known World' Review

Recently separated parents Carl and Julie, must unify in order to find their missing daughter in the depths of India. Where every desperate step forward for the pair into India, its inhabitants, scenery and culture creates mixed feelings of hope and despair.

They discover along the way who her daughter Eva had become, away from the safety of New Zealand… They learn about her innate desire for wanderlust in a country filled with beauty and spiritual spaces and who she became… good or bad is thrown into question.

The beauty, vibrancy and underworld of India were all realized wonderfully in this film directed by Pan Nalin and written by Dianne Taylor.

The film is also beautifully captured by cinematographer Ian McCarroll... honestly the cinematography is insane!

The NZ – India co production produced by Kristian Eek, Matthew Horrocks and Gaurav Dhingra was filmed in New Zealand and India in locations such as Ladakh, a Buddhist ex-kingdom and the spectacularly jagged, arid mountains of Rohtang Pass in the Himalayas.

The acting was especially amazing! The stand out performances by the two main characters Sia Trokenheim (Julie) and David Wenham (Carl) were incredible!

The idea of how far can you let your child fly is a thought shared by all parents. It is the same question, whether they are 5 and starting school, or 18 and wanting to travel the world.

It raises the question, as parents when do we move forward and protect, defend or save. And on the flip side when do we step back? Can we bare to let them make their own choices and mistakes? Can we accept that they are able to carve their own path separate from the conformity and expectations of others?

The idea that my child could go missing, the desperation felt, was very real. Its possibly a film that I would have viewed differently before children… because ultimately you do view life through different eyes after a child comes into your world.

I enjoyed this film so much!

Such a beautifully put together piece!

5 PUMPKINS from me!