Synopsis
Jess and Tom enter a gruelling marathon to win a car – but what price will they pay to win?

An off-beat love story centered on a car yard in New Plymouth where an endurance competition is staged that requires entrants to place a hand on a Land Rover and keep it there to win the car. The world record for such a competition is over 5 days. Attracted to this contest are people from every walk of life, who for one reason or another see their salvation in winning the car.

About the Film and the Director
Inspired by a true story (such a contest took place in Lower Hutt, New Zealand in the late 80's resulting in a world record), motivations such as greed, poverty, revenge, loyalty and love are pitted against each other in this social experiment to reveal which drive is the strongest.

Show of Hands stars NZ actress Melanie Lynskey, who has appeared in over 20 US television shows and films, including the Academy Award nominated Up in the Air (2010). She started her acting career in Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures, and was awarded Best Actress (NZ Film and Television Awards) for her role.

Director Anthony McCarten is a NZ novelist, playwright and filmmaker. He received early international success for his play Ladies Night, which remains NZ's most commercially successful play of all time.

McCarten's first feature film Via Satellite - adapted from his own stage play- was invited to several film festivals including London, Cannes, Toronto, Melbourne, Hawaii and Seattle. Show of Hands, his follow up feature, premiered at the Montreal International Film Festival.

Anthony McCarten on Show of Hands: “My aim with this film was to tell a story about a crazy little contest that spoke of the wider contest, which is, surviving in the modern world. It's a morality tale if you like - an allegory about which human drive proves the most empowering and enduring.”

Director and Writer: Anthony McCarten
Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Craig Hall, Steve Lovatt
Year: 2008
Language: English with Chinese subtitles
Duration: 99 mins
Category: IIB

Festival – Highlight
New Zealand Film & TV Awards 2009 – Best Lead Actress in a Feature Film for Melanie Lynskey

故事簡介：
卓絲和湯參加了爭奪越野路華四驅車的耐力賽。未鬥到最後一分鐘，不知鹿死誰手；誰亦難料代價將有多大。

一個少有的愛情故事，坐落於新普利茅斯的車場。大家鬥耐力，手掌按住車身，誰能堅持最久就贏得一部越野路華車。這種比賽的世界紀錄是五天以上。

比賽吸引了各行各業的人，各有原因而目的卻一樣 : 只要贏得這部車，他們就能得到救贖。

導演與製作：
愛不釋手根據真實事件改編而成（八十年代末新西蘭下哈特舉辦過這樣的賽事，並且產生了世界紀錄），透過各人在這場社會實驗中的你爭我鬥，看那一種動機的推動力最強 － 貪婪、貧困、復仇、忠誠抑或愛情?

片中女主角是新西蘭女演員馬蘭妮‧連士祈。她演出過二十多部美國電影和電視連續劇，包括獲提名現屆奧斯卡金像獎的寡佬飛行日記 。她在彼得‧積遜執導的罪孽天使中首次演出，即以這個角色脫穎而出贏得了新西蘭影視獎最佳女主角。

導演安東尼‧麥卡頓是知名新西蘭小說家、劇作家兼電影人，早年憑舞台劇Ladies Night獲得國際成就。該劇迄今仍是新西蘭叫好叫座的作品。

麥卡頓的首部電影作品Via Satellite，改編自他的舞台劇本，獲邀參展倫敦、康城、多倫多、麥爾本、夏威夷、西雅圖等多個電影節。愛不釋手是他的第二部故事片，在蒙特利爾國際電影節中首次放映。

東尼‧麥卡頓談愛不釋手：『我想講有關一個瘋狂遊戲的小故事，小中見大，看到現代世界的掙扎求存。你可以說這是一則勵志故事，也是一則印證哪些人性的慾求最令人自強和鍥而不捨的寓言。』

導演/編劇：安東尼‧麥卡頓
演員：馬蘭妮‧連士祈、桂克‧賀、史提夫‧路華特
年分：2008
語言：英語附中文字幕
片長：99分鐘
級數 : IIB

參展及提名（摘要）：
新西蘭影視獎2009最佳女演員－馬蘭妮‧連士祈