This dark comedy is set in Dunedin, New Zealand. A university student finds an old "abandoned" house and proceeds to invite other students to share. It even has running electricity. But what is the catch?
Acting
Young Taika Waititi's chaotic energy steals every scene.
Direction
Robert Sarkies wrings genuine tension from absurd domesticity.
Production
Dunedin's grim student housing as a character itself.
Director
Robert Sarkies
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Taika Waititi was still using his birth name Taika Cohen; this was his first major film role before his 2005 name change.
'Scarfie' is Dunedin slang for university students—named for the yellow-and-blue scarves they wear. The film captures a very specific 90s NZ student poverty aesthetic now largely gentrified away.
NZ
