“Highly recommended… this film is a joy and a must see.”
“A film that will make you feel good for all the right reasons.”
— Steve Kopian, Unseen Films
“Undeniably upbeat, [and] its heart is in the right place…
above all it’s a showcase for a brand-new star. Libby’s a firecracker
with a remarkable range, beautifully guided by director and writer
Linda Niccol”
— Simon Morris, RNZ (NZ)
“Poppy is a nuanced, vibrant and comedic tour-de-force and it’s
easy to see why she charms most of those she comes into contact with”
— James Croot, Stuff (NZ)
“Highlights a long neglected inclusive narrative of normalcy portrayed on screen.”
— Business of Film
SYNOPSIS
Nineteen-year-old Poppy Simpson (Libby Hunsdale) is an irrepressible young woman with Down Syndrome and an assumption she should get to do what everyone else does – have a job, drive a car, get married. Holding her back is Dave (Ari Boyland), her older brother and only family since the death of their parents. Poppy and Dave work together in their inherited car repair business, and it’s clear Poppy has mechanical smarts. But her super-protective brother doesn’t think she’s up to getting her driver’s license or the apprenticeship she was promised by their late father. Quietly rebellious, Poppy secretly begins to teach herself to drive. And it’s not until she teams up with an old school friend who needs his car fixed in time to enter the local burnout competition that her plans progress in this acclaimed feel-good drama from New Zealand.
