SPINAL DESTINATION
Screening: Sky Open, from Wednesday, March 27, 8.30pm
There is a good deal of real life in Spinal Destination. The story of its lead character, the go-getting journalist Tessa, has much in common with the story of its writer, accomplished documentarian and film director Paula Whetu Jones.
Both have media careers, both were deprived of the ability to walk by a rare autoimmune condition, both felt their legs go while taking a bath and both struggled to adjust to their new lives. Most of all, both swore they would walk again, no matter what.
"It is quite autobiographical," Whetu Jones confirms. "The main thing about the story is the emotional rollercoaster. It's about trying to keep your normal in a situation that's not normal.
"And yeah, it's been 14 years and I still think I'm going to walk."
Although she drew on her own time in the Burwood Spinal Unit for the story, the tone came from cinema - is it dark comedy, drama, what?
This story is from the March 30 - April 5, 2024 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 30 - April 5, 2024 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Morning songs
On a recent early and glorious Saturday morning - it was 4°C outside I let the complaining chickens out. Chickens never stop complaining.
Upwardly mobile
Climate-friendly e-scooters are proliferating but there are stumbling blocks for users and non-users.
A potent brew
There's a correlation between moderate coffee drinking and reduced risk of colorectal cancer - but evidence of a causal link is still percolating.
Food saviours
A little bit of silliness lightens the mood on the serious topic of food waste.
Ode to old masters
The Polynesian sound and Auckland's ska-punk scene are remembered in new releases.
Weaving Welsh with waiata
Te reo meets Cymraeg in a musical project partly spearheaded by Kawiti Waetford, an opera singer with connections to Wales.
Culture warrior
Activist and scholar Ngahuia te Awek6otuku achieved several firsts in society but had to fight many battles to get there.
An age-old problem
Is our lifespan fixed, or might we be able to slow down or even abolish ageing? And what would we do if we could?
When Jim becomes James
'What would white people do to a slave who had learned to read?' This impressive reimagining of Huckleberry Finn seeks to find out.
Manhattan transfer
A Kiwi movie star led the charge for an Anzac garden atop New York's Rockefeller Centre that's still in use today.
