By Kate Rodger
Christchurch filmmaker Gerard Smyth began documenting his city's fall at the time of the first big quake, in September last year.
The entire country breathed a collective sigh of relief when a 7.1 earthquake destroyed buildings but took no lives.
Then came the unimaginable.
We all were witness to the unfolding horrors on our screens for weeks after February’s devastating aftershock.
This film revisits those incredibly dark days.
But more than that it also takes us beyond and into a community packed with resilient, generous, unfathomably hopeful Cantabrians and a country who rallied around them.
We're also invited to think forward into the region's future, visiting San Fransciso and New Orleans for ideas and inspiration on rebuilding.
As a film the key to the success of the storytelling lies in the restraint the filmmaker shows for his subject and allowing the city itself to tell their stories, leaving us as an audience incredibly moved and inspired by the commitment of a community to rally themselves and all those around them, to rebuild the city they love.
Four and a half stars.
3 News
When a City Falls
:: Director: Gerard Smyth
:: Running Time: 105 mins
:: Rating: M - contains offensive language
:: Release Date: December 1, 2011
:: Trailer: Click here
