http://www.metromagazine.com.au | © ATOM | Metro Magazine 195• 97issues, including suicide attempts. Another performer talks
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man’s coming out and the antagonistic reaction of his family.
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having – as3@KDR NE SGD "HSXauthor Armistead Maupin would
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‘It’s amazing: they really support each other through it,’ Habicht
says, harking back to the sanctuary he discovered upon arriv
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in. When I got to art school, all of us were like, “Oh my god,
king of the nerds.”’
For Habicht, the camera is a shield. For the subjects of
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horror movie. As the director explains:
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even considers another staff member, young Mormon Huia
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Pennywise fromIt– to be a spiritual twin brother. ‘Meeting
him made the whole thing worthwhile,’ Habicht says.
Bearing on the past
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tients of having been subjected to abuse.^4 Habicht reached
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camera who’s a little bemused by the building’s new life as an
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spent eighteen years institutionalised there as a young woman.
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research, support and education at the University of Auckland.
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ful stereotypes surrounding mental illness.Her heartfelt,
intelligent argument provides a fascinating counterpoint to
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Apiata and co., according to Habicht.
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While, by the time of our interview, Florian hadn’t had a chance
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hopes that they can some day soon. He wonders if perhaps, by
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come to see some worth in what they are doing there, even if
she does not fully agree with their methods.
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narrative. Indeed, Habicht tackles it directly, asking several
performers whether they had pondered over the possible
harmful consequences of their performances on the wellbe
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Habicht detects, in these interviews, a naivety that he himself
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ing from her extensive insights took the documentary down
an alternative route that he had not previously envisaged.
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always prompting himself to engage with ethical considera
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tant to explore material in documentaries that can be seen
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family, Habicht draws parallels between his avowedly alterna
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Melbourne-based freelance arts writer who has indulged
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