"We're 23 years into a plague that remains unresearched" - onscreen text from Manawanui
Manawanui is an agitated, sometimes terrifying meditation on life, death and state power. Oscillating between anxiety over the AIDS epidemic and a series of dramatic high camp scenes from the queer underground, Manawanui hurtles along a fine line between joy and despair. Hayward’s camera, editing and soundtrack are a tour-de-force, bringing together activism and hedonism in a cinematic spectacle.
