IFWT #60 - Sleeping Dogs (1977)

It seems like only yesterday we were covering Peter Jackson’s delightfully twisted directorial debut Bad Taste, and we had so much fun doing it that our next trip to New Zealand was inevitable. This time we’re venturing back to 1977, the tail end of the cinematic New Wave moment that produced some of the industries most acclaimed directors. Over in NZ however, their cinema boom was just getting started, precipitated by a little flick called Sleeping Dogs. A tale of one man’s quest to survive in trying times, stuck between warring factions with no intention of joining either of them. Based on the novel Smith's Dream by C.K. Stead, the film serves as both a commentary on contemporary New Zealand life, as well as an eerily prescient glimpse into a future plagued by riots, demonstrations, financial hardships and corrupt politicians doing anything they can to cling to power. Will In Film We Trust pick a side, or will we stand firm in the middle? Tune in to find out.