Abstract:
In this paper I begin with an examination of the ways in which a magical discourse is invoked to carry the potagonists of Black Sheep (Jonathan King 2006) and Eagle vs Shark (Taika Waititi 2007) across their cultural cringe towards an appreciation of their homes. I will relate this to the way the dysfunctional father-son relationships stand as metaphor for that of the antipodean and its accomanying power relations of north-south and centre-margin. I will then compare these narratives with the UK/NZ co-production Dean Spanley (Toa Fraser 2008) set in England and referencing India, a northern but clearly foreign part of the British Empire.