Home By Christmas

In HOME BY CHRISTMAS, the enchanting true story of a love that transcended war and separation, filmmaker Gaylene Preston reimagines her parents' experiences of World War II. Eddie and Tui were young newlyweds with a baby on the way when Eddie signed up for duty. Soon he was off to North Africa with his fellow Kiwis, assuring Tui he'd be home by Christmas. After surviving desert treks and Mediterranean torpedoes, Eddie was finally interned in Italy until the war ended – and then came the arduous task of making his way back to New Zealand. Meanwhile, Tui kept the home fires burning and watched Eddie, Jr. grow, waiting endlessly for news of her husband's whereabouts. Narrated by an actor playing Eddie who reminisces about his younger days, the film is a pastiche of archival footage, sun-dappled fiction, and an old timer's yarns. The vibrantly re-enacted soundtrack brings still photos – of Australian brothels, Cairo streets, the Swiss Alps – to life. Tui chronicled her life in photographs and letters, hoping they'd reach Eddie wherever he was. This is their daughter Gaylene's own document, a love letter to her parents in film form. –B.B.