Nude Tuesday

For their anniversary, bored, unhappily married couple Laura (screenwriter Jackie van Beek) and Bruno (Damon Herriman) receive an unexpected present from Bruno’s free-spirited mother: a free trip to a wilderness couples’ retreat run by eccentric, boundary-blind sex guru, Bjorg Rassmussen (What We Do in the Shadows creator Jemaine Clement). Will tantric dances and New Age orgies save their marriage or push it to the breaking point? Set on a fictional Pacific island, this hilarious, one-of-a-kind comedy was completely improvised by the actors in a made-up language of gibberish, with British comedian Julia Davis writing deliriously funny, absurd and downright rude English subtitles for the frequently naked cast’s dialogue. In this wildly audacious creative gambit, New Zealand filmmaker Armagan Ballantyne and writer/co-star van Beek have engineered an unruly yet still heartfelt and endearing comedy high-wire-act that charms with ease. (Dir. by Aramgan Ballantyne, 2022, New Zealand/Australia, in gibberish with English subtitles, 100 mins., Not Rated)

Other festivals: Tribeca, Sydney