''Separation City'' is a 2009 New Zealand film starring

Joel Edgerton Joel Edgerton (born 23 June 1974) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his appearance in the '' Star Wars'' films ''Attack of the Clones'' (2002) and '' Revenge of the Sith'' (2005) as a young Owen Lars, a role he reprise ...

Rhona Mitra Rhona is the name of: * Rhona Adair (1878–1961), British golf champion * Rhona Bennett (born 1976), American singer, actress and model * Rhona Brankin (born 1950), Labour Co-operative politician and Member of the Scottish Parliament * Rhona ...

Danielle Cormack Danielle Cormack (born 26 December 1970) is a New Zealand stage and screen actress. She was one of the original cast members of the long-running soap opera ''Shortland Street'', though she is also known for her role as the Amazon Ephiny in th ...

, and

Les Hill Les Hill (born 1 August 1973) is an Australian actor who has appeared in many Australian television productions including '' Rescue: Special Ops,'' ''Home and Away'' and '' Underbelly.'' Early life Hill was born in the Royal Hospital for Wome ...

. It is directed by Paul Middleditch. Filming concluded in June, 2009, after 5 weeks of shooting. It is a comedy-drama, following the collapse of two marriages, set in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by m ...

Plot

Simon (

) is a decent fellow, married to a lovely woman Pam (

), living comfortably with two children. He has grown tired of the lack of sex and is attracted to a cellist friend of his wife, Katrien (

). Katrien travels to New Zealand to follow her husband Klaus (

Thomas Kretschmann Thomas Kretschmann (; born 8 September 1962) is a German actor who has appeared in many European and American films. His notable roles include Lieutenant Hans von Witzland in ''Stalingrad'' (1993), Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in '' The Pianist'' (2 ...

) in an attempt to rekindle their marriage. However, she catches him in bed with a young arts student and so their marriage collapses. Katrien, now available and lonely from the breakdown of her marriage, is susceptible to Simon's attraction. The two become fascinated with each other, but don't immediately start an affair. She doesn't want to destroy his greatest appeal, which is that he is upright and reliable. They eventually attempt some meetings, but something always goes wrong. Either he arrives late and the children are coming, or he ejaculates prematurely. Opportunity comes when they discover that they are both going to be in Germany the same week. Simon books a hotel room in Berlin, where he and his boss are attending a convention. Katrien comes to his room, but before they manage to have sex, his wife surprises him by showing up. Katrien escapes to an adjacent room through an interconnecting door and Simon and his wife make violent love, which Katrien hears through the wall. She gets upset because they were just about to have sex and he is having sex with his wife. Pam sees Simon sneak into the hallway during a speech and hears Katrien's voice on the other end of his phone, figures out what they are doing, and flies back to Wellington angry. She soon asks for a separation. Simon professes his love to Katrien, but she says she doesn't love him, so he goes back to Wellington to live near to his wife and children, whom he sees often (his wife slept with Katrien's husband and wants a divorce). His wife eventually forgives him and as the movie ends, we find that Katrien has accepted a job with an orchestra and lives blocks away from her ex-husband who now takes care of the kids. Early on in the film the five or six wives suggest that the men form an encounter group that meets regularly. At least one of the wives makes it a condition that her husband would be allowed back in the house. The discussions are amusing, but the group disbands after a session that turns into a free-for-all fist fight.

Cast

as Simon *

as Pam *

as Katrien *

as Klaus *

as Harry Ronayne * Michelle Langstone as Julie * Stephanie Paul as Pip

Availability

In North America ''Separation City'' aired on the Encore Drama channel on 2 May 2012. At that time, it was not yet available on DVD for Region 1 or Region 2, but it was for Region 4, which includes Australia and New Zealand.

References

{{reflist

External links

Separation City at IMDB

Separation City Official Site
2009 films New Zealand comedy-drama films 2009 comedy-drama films 2009 comedy films 2009 drama films 2000s English-language films