Snakeskin

Alice (Melanie Lynskey) and Johnny (Dean O'Gorman) are a couple of Kiwi kids with a serious Americana addiction. Johnny drives pal Alice around in his convertible Chrysler, bedecked with dolls of patron saints Elvis and Marilyn. Bored in the Canterbury countryside, their quest for adventure comes neatly packaged in hitchhiker Seth (Boyd Kerstner), a square-jawed Yank running West from his past. And on the scenic South Island of New Zealand, the long haul West takes less than the length of an acid trip. Hot on Seth's tail are some folks he has ripped off: a couple of crank-snorting skinheads, hippies selling herbal refreshment from their ice cream truck, and a hard-case Harley-riding Maori fella. As the acid digs in and night falls on the Southern Alps, Alice's adventure in Down Under-land seems less like her American Dream and more like a nightmare.

The Road Movie is already established as an important tradition in the short history of New Zealand cinema. With SNAKESKIN, that ribbon of highway ties a freewheeling weekend adventure to a clever critique of the violence of American society, and New Zealand's dependence on its cultural empire.