Main Cast: Danielle Cormack, Karl Urban, Willa O'Neill, Michael Lawrence, Rangi Motu
Release Year: 2000
Country: NZ
Run Time: 87 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
New Zealand filmmaker Harry Sinclair turns to a more rural setting with this modern fairy tale centering on two lovers, Lucinda $Danielle Cormack) and Rob (Karl Urban), who live on a dairy farm in a quaint small town. On a standard errand one day, Lucinda accidentally hits an older woman on the road. The woman miraculously gets up unharmed and disappears, but soon afterward, Lucinda starts incorporating her fears into her current romantic relationship. In an effort to restore their romantic lives to a more exciting plane, Lucinda begins creating small conflicts on the advice of friend Drosophila (Willa O'Neill), hoping for instant results. One night, however, Rob and Lucinda are robbed by a Maori group, later revealed to be the nephews of the woman stricken in the car accident. The group steals a quilt, which Lucinda barters 117 of Rob's farm cows to get back. Meanwhile, Drosophila has attempted to steal Rob for herself, and Lucinda's plans turn out to work against her. Director Sinclair reportedly developed the story as an outline, with many elements devised as the film progressed during shooting. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
Review
Harry Sinclair's sophomore effort tells an engaging love story between two appealing leads with a good dose of magic realism. Rob (Karl Urban) is an adorably dim dairy farmer who truly cares about his cows, while Lucinda (Danielle Cormack) is an adventurous dreamer whose secret obsession is collecting baby shoes. The two of them enjoy a fantastic romance together with their agoraphobic dog, Nigel, who stays hidden inside a cardboard box. It's these kind of little eccentricities that keep this surreal movie interesting; the story is really just a simple tale of Lucinda testing Rob's love after he asks her to marry him. The supernatural elements creep in and make the everyday situations seem dreamlike and the dynamics of their relationship start to come alive. The lush cinematography captures the fields of rolling green farmland and sets a fresh tone for what is really a domestic drama set in the great outdoors. The colorful costumes and settings are just as refreshing to see as the two healthy-looking lead characters seemingly free from urban anxiety. However, after awhile, the oddball events do get really goofy and the symbols get really heavy handed, with Cormack especially giving a few too many wide-eyed reaction shots to the strange goings-on. Overall, The Price of Milk accomplishes some delightful moments and brings a vivid earthiness to the standard romantic comedy formula. For those that can handle a bit of fantastic realism, it's worth watching for the scene where Rob dives in with Lucinda, who is submerged in a vat of milk wearing a yellow swim cap. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
The Price of Milk is a 2000 film from New Zealand. It was directed by Harry Sinclair. This film is set in rural New Zealand where a farmer, Rob (Karl Urban), gets engaged to his love, Lucinda (Danielle Cormack). But Lucinda is worried about their relationship losing its spark and she continues to push him to try to keep the spark alive. A string of quilt-nappings have been occurring around the town and when Lucinda finds hers, she is curious and reckless when she trades Rob's cows, worth NZ$400,000, to get it back. Rob is beyond words in his rage and loses his voice as he drives away, leaving Lucinda to worry for days before their planned wedding.
