Synopsis
When a mysterious stranger (Tai) arrives in their isolated coastal town, ten-year-old twins Kimi and Melody are forced apart. While others punish Tai, Kimi acts out his heartbreaking loneliness in destructive, angry ways, while looking after the Melody that only he can see. His family is concerned for him, but only Kimi’s belief in his sister can save him. Kimi must find the strength to let go of what he loves the most.

Told in a compellingly honest and sparse yet beautiful manner, it is a film about growing up, surviving difficult times and becoming stronger for it. Once Kimi loses Melody he is literally thrown off balance. As Kimi searches angrily for answers, those around him have their own reactions. His brother Gene seeks violent revenge; his parents grieve silently; and lonely teenage girl Tirea finds a fragile kind of love with the outcast Tai.

About the Film and the Director
The Strength of Water was filmed in the haunting, exotic landscapes of the Hokianga in the far north of New Zealand. It explores tragedy, despair and eventually hope through the lives of the Kaneha family as they struggle with universal issues of human survival.

Director Armagan Ballantyne's five short films have screened and won awards at festivals around the world. In 2006 she was selected for the directors’ lab at the Sundance Institute, which allowed her to work on her debut feature film project The Strength of Water.

Armagan Ballantyne on The Strength of Water: “For an overseas audience, The Strength of Water will be a window into another world. The film has the spirit and texture of a specific place yet the struggles of its characters are universal.”

Director: Armagan Ballantyne
Writer: Briar Grace-Smith
Cast: Hato Paparoa, Melanie Mayall-Nahi, Jim Moriarty, Nancy Brunning
Year: 2008
Language: English with Chinese subtitles
Duration: 86 mins
Category: IIA

Festival – Highlight
Qantas Film and Television Awards 2009 – Images and Sound Best Sound Design
Asia Pacific Film Awards 2009 – Finalist
Festival Internationale du Premier Film 2010, Annonay, France – Grand Prix
Cine Junior Paris Film Festival 2010 – Grand Jury Prize
Cannes Cinéma – Cannes Cinéphiles

故事簡介：
當一名神秘男子（阿太）來到遠離塵囂的岸邊小鎮，十歲的孖生兄妹－基米和瑪露狄被迫分開。其他人歸咎於阿太，而基米則以憤怒和破壞掩蓋悲傷，一邊照顧著只有他能看見的瑪露狄。家人替他擔心，但是，只有基米對妹妹的信念能拯救他。基米必須堅強地克服失去最愛之痛。

這故事是關於一個逐漸成長、度過難關而變為更堅強的男孩，敘事方式直接，語調略為鬆散，卻美麗動人。當基米失去了瑪露狄，他馬上失去平衡。他憤怒地找尋答案，周圍的人各有不同的反應。哥哥尊尼尋求暴力報復；父母默默傷心，小心翼翼地觀望；另一個孤獨的少女特雷亞，卻從被排斥的阿太那裡找到微妙的愛。

導演與製作：
兄妹情未了於新西蘭極北、地勢奇異多險的霍基昂加拍攝。影片通過描寫一個毛利家庭面對人類普遍的存亡問題的掙扎，探討不幸、絕望和相信最終可以重見希望。

導演阿瑪根‧巴蘭泰過去的五部短片曾參加世界各地國際影展及獲獎。她於2006年獲選加入辛丹士學院的導演實驗室，籍此機會製作了她的首部故事片兄妹情未了。

阿瑪根‧巴蘭泰談兄妹情未了：『對於海外觀眾來說，兄妹情未了也許是看見另一個世界的窗。影片蘊含著一個特殊地域的靈魂和質地，雖然那些角色的掙扎是普世相通的。』

導演：阿瑪根‧巴蘭泰
編劇：貝雅‧基斯史密夫
演員：克圖‧帕帕洛亞、瑪莉恩‧瑪佑納希、占‧摩利雅堤、蘭西‧潘寧
年分：2008
語言：英語附中文字幕
片長：86分鐘
級數 : IIA

參展及提名（摘要）：
澳航影視獎2009－最佳音響設計
亞太影展2009－總決賽入圍
法國阿諾内處女作國際電影節2010－大獎
法國巴黎青年電影節2010－評判團大獎
康城影展－參展電影愛好者