Vigil has some good ideas, and occasional moments when they're realized fairly well, but this is anything but a satisfying movie. There's virtually no content at all, and it is painfully slow in revealing its emptiness. None of the characters are compelling, the scenery, is unremittingly gray and bleak, the mood is as drab as the leaden sky under which it's filmed.<br /><br />At this point in time, NZ films were often remarkable only for their weirdness, and Vigil, although tender and with heart, is not an exception.<br /><br />Vigil's greatest value may be as a study in Vincent Ward's development, which burst open to reveal his wonderful talent in the remarkable gem, The Navigator, two years later, the first of some first-class movies from New Zealand, such as The Piano, Whale Rider, and of course, The Lord of the Rings.