Directed by Steven Arnold. Written by Kathleen Gallagher. Reviewed by Jim Consedine

This latest film by Kathleen Gallagher, based on her play of the same name, follows two composite characters, Pete Bawn and Tim Flanagan, one Methodist and the other of West Coast, Irish-Catholic roots. Having been called up for WWII, they refuse to serve in the military on the grounds of conscientious objection, both being pacifists. They were two of 800 conscientious objectors sentenced. Pete and Tim were sent to Hautu Prison near Taupo for the duration of the war.

Hautu is an evocative and powerful movie, much of it set in black and white, and directed brilliantly by Steven Arnold. It doesn’t idealise the men's choice nor shrink from the difficulties that standing up for principle in prison can bring. Their guards are constantly belligerent, the conditions cold and bleak. Communication with home was sparse. Hope and confidence ebbed and flowed.

Pete Bawn, played by Dani Fernandez, is a quiet somewhat introverted character, while Tim Flanagan, played by James Fox, is the more outgoing. Thrown together, they lead us through highs (very few) and lows of the day-to-day boring routines of prison life. Personal high ideals can often be eroded during years of harsh imprisonment, as Ploughshares activists have come to know.

The surprise is that some of the most powerful images of the movie are provided by the spouses left at home to bear the brunt of the cowardice taunts in hostile communities. Molly, played by Kath Hair, is a particularly strong character as she copes with the absence of her husband and withstands the taunts of neighbours.

Hautu is well acted and well directed. It will be an extremely useful education tool on a topic largely forgotten in contemporary New Zealand. It has been gifted to 250 schools, courtesy of the Quakers and the Peace and Disarmament Education Trust.

Available:  Hautu (58 mins) DVD $30, plus $3 p/p. Orders to - wickcandlefilm@yahoo.com