The Vintner's Luck

Directed and Written by:
Niki Caro

Niki Caro and Keisha Castle-Hughes join forces for their second film together after Whale Rider. This time adapting a novel by Elizabeth Knox, the film manages to condense two decades into just over two hours of screentime.

The film follows the fortunes of Sobran from his role as a lowly wine-grower, to a seasoned wine-maker. His journey is set in motion by an encounter with an angel named Xan who offers to taste his wine once a year and give advice on how to improve it. He explains that a great wine must contain equal parts joy and sorrow, and that every great wine is a distillation of the vintner’s life.

As the ups and downs of life affect his vintages, Sobran lashes out at the angel who has become so integral to his winemaking. The lush physicality of the winemaking process is brought vividly to life in this film and at times you feel like you can almost taste the wine splashing across your tongue.