Original subtitles

When the British first colonized New Zealand, we were offered a great new

from the motherland.

Missionaries of the Lord redeemed the uncivilized.

Today, our institutions and educational facilities are now the front line for

saving the uncultivated mind.

Two, Daisy.

Cooking for family.

Our mission is carried forth by three central principles.

Christianize.

Civilize. Assimilate.

These goals are the beating heart of our school for delinquent girls, where

troubled young women are taught the skills for successful re -entry into

society. My word, look at the state of these beds, girls!

You know what Jesus says about beds, right?

Who can tell me what Jesus says about unmade beds?

We could be mates, and I can.

Or, even better, we could make you tell us. Why are you laughing? Huh?

Settle.

Oh, yes, it's time to go.

Nellie. The metro.

Did your fella go?

He's outside with a truck.

Oh, yeah.

Come on.

Doctors say the girl's legs will heal.

Yes.

More or less.

But the baby is a problem.

She fell pregnant under your supervision.

Well, you'll be relieved to know we have a solution which eliminates the

possibility of such lapses.

Theirs and yours.

This island has a long history of accommodating dubious characters.

prisoners of war, lepers, explorers en route to Antarctica.

And?

The facilities are not currently in use.

You and your delinquents will use it.

An island?

The dining hall is here.

Has a kitchen.

The old schoolhouse is here. And then there are the huts. Here, here, and

It's good to remind ourselves.

If the island can contain leprosy, it can probably manage a few girls on heat.

Oh, right.

You know, if it were up to me, I'd keep them there until the menopause.

Avoid any accidental burdens on society.

We're preparing them for marriage.

That is the main incentive we offer. It keeps them motivated.

These fellas are liars.

It was way harder than they made it look.

Do you have a suitcase?

No, it's just my bag.

I think the boat's coming, miss.

Pick up your bags.

We're about to get up.

Move towards the end of the boat calmly.

I'll lick my teeth and smile today.

No, bit faster, come on.

Well,

you know, we've got all sorts.

Waif, stray, vagrant, whores, sex delinquents.

That's technically different from a whore.

Queers, too.

Puffs, you know, that's a new one.

We can't know everything they did prior to their arrival at the institution.

What about this one?

Yeah, we heard she's a sex delinquent.

She's an exceptional case.

I'm Barry.

Thank you. Take care.

I see you got my instructions.

Yeah.

This way, then?

Yeah.

I'll take that donkey, mate.

Every girl that arrives on our doorstep has a file.

And each file contains a tragic history.

The girls are fortunate that institutional safety nets are in place.

And the island is the perfect location for their reformation.

My purpose is to put them back on the right path.

A righteous path.

A path to domesticity and redemption.

Fair warning, there's a real wreck problem on this island.

One of the huts has a leaky roof. You might want to double up on one of the

huts. Hut number three.

That's perfect.

I have some girls who don't mind being out in the elements.

Daisy, Nellie, you'll be in hut three.

The rest of you, just organise amongst yourselves.

Try and make a new friend.

Be like Jesus.

He was always making new friends.

Wow. The matron has no mercy.

Hi. No.

I'll take this one. No.

Be like Jesus.

Jesus isn't friends with sex delinquents.

I think you'll find he was.

He was?

Mm -hmm.

Does God know that?

Yeah, he does.

No.

Fine.

The Mike one's coming.

What's that?

A dress.

Oh, that's a flesh dress.

I'm Nellie. That's Daisy.

You're not gonna need that dress here.

Our institutional relocation is the first of its kind.

Like all new ventures, success rates could be varied.

But our mission should be judged by the sum of its parts, rather than the

success of individuals.

It's crooked.

Well, that's because Patricia's taller than me.

Well, grow up.

This is the classroom.

Bit of a work in progress.

What are you doing?

Setting rat traps, Miss.

What will you do once you catch them?

Burn them.

Drown them.

We're on an island, Nancy.

Burn them? We don't have the firewood for that.

So you guys are cousins, right?

Well, not like cousins' cousins, you know.

Like, in the white sense.

I don't know what the non -white sense of cousins is.

Like through marriage?

No.

We're just like cousins, you know.

Like... Just cousins.

Like family friends?

No need to be formal about it.

Cousins. Mary, you've organised the beds?

Yes, Miss.

Cauliflower, beetroot, cabbage, runner beans up the side, onions over there.

And the potatoes?

We only arrived last week, Miss.

We can't survive off your excuses, Mary.

Lemons, Miss?

They were already here.

I can see that.

I heard this really beautiful quote the other day.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Is that from the Bible?

I don't think so.

What a stupid quote.

To make lemonade, you also need sugar, right? And if you have sugar in your

life, well then, your life isn't so bad.

At least not so bad that you're complaining about having too many

In this building?

The sick bay.

The medical hut.

Is it functional?

We haven't been inside yet.

We don't teach the girls first aid in case it makes them feel more capable of

taking risks.

This way.

What are you doing?

I'm painting, Miss.

Your attitude is appalling.

Paint the hut properly.

Good girl.

Yes,

I am.

She said she got pregnant by her foster dad.

I think she was born a bit slow and then didn't get faster as time went on.

Well, but is he? He said he got pregnant by some ugly old man she always talks

about. Yeah, she says it's like Romeo and Juliet because their parents tried

keep them apart.

So what happens to most of the girls here?

Do they reform themselves?

I don't know.

I think most just end up cleaning and clean for the rest of their lives.

Best case scenario is you read the Bible, take it all in, and then your

starts to change, I guess.

How do you mean?

Well, you learn how to be dainty, good posture, how to iron a collar, and then

you let into polite society and then men get to take you out on dates.

Then you get to live in a house they pay for.

And then just raise children for the rest of your life.

All of that in the Bible?

Yeah, I think so.

Seems to be the main, you know, guidebook.

My cousin came to a place like this once.

When she came back, she was sort of funny in the head.

Didn't really talk, didn't really eat.

She used to be a real laugh too, funnier than Daisy.

What did they do to her?

She never said.

Unlike most girls at the institution,

Nellie didn't come from a typically broken family.

Everything was hand -me -down, including the school books, which were erased at

the end of each year and handed to the next child.

She stated that she was well -fed and well -loved.

Everyone in her town worked at the meat processing and freezing works.

When it was shut down, the eldest children were sent off to find work.

leaving behind their towns and families for jobs in the cities.

This is called urban drift, which doesn't quite capture the urgency with

they appeared to leave.

Apparently, one of Nellie's aunts claimed to know a woman in the city who

exchange food and a bed for childcare.

But like a lot of plans that Nellie was involved in,

The details of the arrangement were not well communicated.

The woman never showed up.

Nelly and Daisy finding each other was unsurprising.

Their bravado overshadowed their abilities.

Within hours of arriving in the city, they were arrested for being in

of 15 stolen items.

It's very difficult to redeem a girl like Nelly.

A girl who believes there's nothing wrong with her.

It's like a high five.

The high five.

You know they put us in these cottages because each one's meant to emulate the

family unit?

Well, not when you're living with a sex delinquent.

Yeah, it's sad. Our family unit is three unwed girls in a leaky house.

You're leaving late.

Oh, don't leave.

Nellie, grab that hammer and nail.

I have an idea.

I don't even see you doing any bit of Brinton.

I definitely did a bit of Nora. She was messing up the crops.

Never mess up the crops. What were you doing?

Settle down, girl. Take your seat.

What is the popular phrase?

The apple never falls far from the tree, tell us.

When studying sexual delinquency among the young, broken homes were found to be

the common denominator.

Bad parents, bad children.

You call my mum a whore.

Are you calling yourself a whore?

Society has been drifting away from what we used to have.

Stable homes and full churches.

When was that?

Before. Then when, though?

Just before.

Māori people.

Find it harder to lead Christian lives.

Because we learned about the word of God so late.

The first time an apple is mentioned in the Bible is the book of Genesis.

Eve took a bite from the apple when God had told her not to.

She offered it to Adam, who also took a bite.

And at that moment, Genesis chapter 3, verse 7, they knew they were naked.

What? They knew they were naked.

Luckily for them, nearby was a tree, a fig tree, from which they took special

leaves and placed them over their private parts.

Adam's leaf was slightly bigger.

Thank you, girls. That's enough.

There's many ways to live a Christian life.

The vocation of marriage.

The priesthood, the sisterhood.

This institution is my vocation. Many girls have gone on to lead a dignified

life.

Louisa, you went to a school known widely for producing decent women.

Yes. Did they encourage you to find suitable partners there?

I suppose.

We had dances and field trips.

An annual picnic?

So, you see, these girls knew how to handle their interactions modestly and

gracefully. Well, not all of them.

You know, Louisa, you're a beautiful and well -to -do young woman. It would be a

great shame for you to waste that, just because you couldn't stop your flights

of fancy.

The rumour of Louisa's sexual delinquency contained images so

cancelled out all her other enviably Christian features.

It was speculated that it must have involved at least a few married men.

Yes, out.

The truth, however, is even more depraved.

Don't be mean. It's my turn. Thank you.

Louisa is the middle child of three.

A boy on either side.

Her home was the picture of upper -class gentility.

But secrets, even in a house with six bedrooms, a study and two toilets, are

hard to keep.

After years of failing mathematics, Louise's parents

intervened and provided her with a tutor, unwittingly inviting a perverse

into their home.

Her father.

A respected and successful doctor wisely used a medically certified approach.

Isolate, treat and contain the spread.

We're going to try and kill all the rats on the island in one go.

How are we going to kill them?

Got them hooked on this stuff over the past few months.

Oh, I love that stuff.

Yeah, today it's laced with poison.

So we just go around peanut buttering the island and then pick up any dead or

dying rats and just go home.

OK, that's a pretty straightforward rat massacre.

Yep.

Any questions?

How long does it take for rats to die?

Pretty quick, I reckon.

I have a question.

Is there any peanut butter that isn't poisoned?

Not on me. I didn't want any mix -ups.

Are you married?

No. Do you believe in God?

Sure. I was thinking more questions about the rats.

Okay.

So you reckon rats live in heaven too, or just pits and stuff?

Okay. No more questions. Stay where

I can see you.

Wait,

Nellie. No.

That's creepy.

Looks like someone's living here.

No way.

Oi.

Don't go in there.

Bit of a sacred place.

What's that?

A fella died in there.

He's all alone.

Come on.

Okay, carry on.

Good morning, Mom.

Good morning, Mom.

Can I be of assistance?

Can I be of assistance?

I'm having a lovely time.

I'm having a lovely time.

By placing one hand delicately over the other, you draw attention away from how

stubby they are.

Then sitting for longer periods, we place one ankle under the other and tuck

to the side like so.

Does she think you guys don't speak English?

Something to admit.

Oh no, just that I'm having a lovely time.

Don't be disrespectful.

Sit up straight.

All of you!

What did Mrs Macmillan just tell you to do with your feet?

Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs Macmillan.

Do you think your girls are ready to learn how to elegantly pick something up

off the floor?

Oh, no.

Then we shall continue with more useful social etiquette.

One sugar or two. With me.

One sugar or two.

Lovely. One more.

One sugar or two.

Topics of interest should not be admitted to polite conversation.

Little is known of Daisy's parents, where they are now, or if they're even

alive.

She inherited no qualities of note from them.

Although she repeatedly asserted her lovely nose was inheritance enough.

Daisy!

Open up!

By the time Daisy was 11, she had been in the care of seven different foster

families.

By the time she was 12, she had tried to escape from all of them.

In such instances, girls are left without any sense of right or wrong.

And we must start entirely from scratch.

On the day she was arrested, Daisy ate four cream buns.

The risk for girls like Daisy, whose idea of freedom is a cream bun, is that

makes them impressionable and easily influenced.

Who started the

dancing?

Who started it?

Hands.

Hand.

Hand.

Thank you so much for making the trip to see us.

I suppose you've read the Marsengard report already?

Oh, yes.

In full. It's my favorite book.

Other than the Bible.

Findings show that the nation has become more promiscuous.

The availability of contraceptives.

Films, comics, American stuff.

We're fighting a war we're not winning.

Unfortunately, our studies show that stupid women love to procreate.

There are orgies in the Hutt Valley, for God's sake.

We find that young women in particular are enticing the men to have sex.

Well?

I do often catch them.

The other day, I caught them doing rock and roll.

Look, in some instances, it's best not to think of the girls as wives and

mothers of tomorrow.

It may well be beyond them.

My approach...

It may seem controversial, but it's surprisingly humane.

Perhaps you are the brave guide who could lead this institution through

something of a trial run?

Difficult choices must be made with love.

But no progress is made without brave pioneers to lead the way.

We must be agents of virtue in a world of vice.

Serving the girls, but ultimately serving society.

The cleanest a thing can be.

Squeaky? No.

Um, as a whistle?

No.

Sparkling?

Yes.

Yes, sparkling.

This has to be the most sparkling room you've ever seen.

Sparkliness is godliness.

Read from the top of page 94, please.

I said read, Daisy!

Read!

Right. 94, please.

Funny we've got a whole class today telling us not to talk about money.

Everyone knows that. Yeah.

Unless you're trying to talk your way out of getting robbed.

You got none? Well, I got none too.

Thank you for asking.

Bath man, am I?

I think there's something under here.

Whoa!

Chaser!

Do you think this is still good to drink? Yeah, that feels like Vegemite.

infinite shelf life.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Do you like a cigarette?

Oh, thank you, my dear.

A

new

arrival has joined the island.

His name is Mr Chan.

He's a Chinese man and a leper.

We were so alarmed by his arrival that a protest was quickly organised.

He was moved swiftly out of the compound and has fashioned himself a makeshift

shack, which we've come to call the Leopard's Lean -To.

It's not a very original name.

Hey, we found that shack.

Because every inch of that beach must be tainted with leprosy by now.

That's not how leprosy works.

My father's a doctor.

I thought he owned the marina.

No, no, no.

That's just a hobby.

Mightn't say.

What happened to him?

Says he lasted the worst of the winter and then died in the spring.

When his body was removed, they found no sign of leprosy.

They believed that he eventually died of pneumonia and heart failure.

His name was Kim Chan.

That's so sad.

I wish he had another Chinese leper to stay with him.

Oh, that's dumb, Dave. You should wish he'd escaped.

Yeah.

Yeah. Well, that too.

If I was left alone on this island, do you think anyone would ever find me?

But you're not alone, because we're here.

Yeah, we wouldn't let that happen.

Oh, my God, that's the magic.

Wait, I think she's going to another hop.

Really?

You want to come sleep on the floor?

Yeah. Jump down.

Come on.

Wait. So did your parents name you Lou before or after you became a leech?

About the same time.

Funny fellas.

So you reckon you're named after toilets?

No!

Daisy. Daisy, no.

Louisa.

That's what the matron said. Yeah, the matron.

Louisa!

You're a well -to -do youngster.

Go. We need to set that thing. Quickly.

Something's going on.

Billy?

Stop looking at the boys.

Unload the boat.

Get on with it.

Thank you.

No lingering.

Come on.

Hurry up.

Where's Miriam is?

She had to go to the mainland.

Why?

Oh, just a little health issue. She'll be fine. Will she come back?

No more questions.

Unload the boat.

Come on, hurry up.

Chop, chop.

Oh, good God!

Surprised they can eat solid food.

Well, you'd have the doctor, right?

Yeah.

Well, then why don't you just say that they're performing medical experiments

on us?

I'm hoping that you could investigate.

Yeah, that's good.

Do you think it'll work?

It wasn't very nice to send that letter.

I'm sorry.

It wasn't personal.

But perhaps you have a response to the concerns raised.

No.

I haven't got anything to say.

Because I haven't done anything wrong.

Did those girls put you up to this?

They don't know I sent it.

She was sick.

He was a doctor.

I don't understand you, Louisa.

Your problems are so frivolous.

They're so easy to hide.

And yet you're so disinterested in salvation.

You can just pretend.

Get out.

In my youth, I felt a strong moral compass.

Our mother superior said I displayed a fervor for education and discipline, a

candidate for correcting wayward strays.

I became living proof that anyone can rise from their circumstances in spite

their heritage.

I remember very little of my childhood, but I know it was a blessing.

The sisters who raised me, guided me to God's infinite mercy.

His mercy was compelling to me as a child and continues to compel me

life's struggles.

She put nails down my shirt. She put nails down my shirt! She's crazy!

She's trying to kill me! No killing! I'll kill you first!

I'll kill you!

I'll kill you first! I said no killing.

Easy,

easy. Take the tools off them, the hammers, the nails, the saws.

Too stupid for school.

Too uncivilised to be made.

Too barbaric for one work.

What have I meant to do with you all?

A few years ago?

You would have been lobotomized.

Oh, but now you're fed and clothed.

And all we ask in return is a bit of bloody weeding.

And you're right.

Do you want to hand with your shells?

We're fast.

Yeah.

Daisy!

It's about time you start to speed up, Lou.

It'll be all good.

Oh, hello.

It's some new arrivals!

Yoda!

English.

Welcome to the island, where reform and relaxation go hand in hand.

Jump right in, take a bucket of chores and be saved by the Lord.

All right.

If you don't mind, I'll start with an interview and a series of tests.

Lovely. Anne?

What?

Would you join us?

Come on, Anne.

I didn't do anything, I swear.

Come on.

Come on.

It's not what I thought.

Anne, is it me? No need to fuss, Anne. No!

Come on. Help me!

Don't be so dramatic.

No!

Life's easier if you don't resist.

I'll make Kelly know.

Yeah, but why would you make something so clean if you were just going to...

Kelly.

Stop.

I'll probably tell you first.

Lily, if you had escaped from the last place, where would we have gone?

Yeah, but we didn't escape, Dave.

We're here.

But if we did, would you have taken me with you?

Because I don't know anyone, and I don't have a bus pass, and I don't know how

to read, or read signs, and...

I don't know anything, Nell.

Yeah, of course, Daisy.

Really? Yeah, you could always come with me.

Yeah, if we'd made it, I would have taken you home.

You promise?

Crossed my heart out today.

Stick a needle in your eye.

I'm too dinky to be on my own.

You know what my koro used to say about little things, Daisy?

What?

What does that mean?

It means, though it is small, it is precious.

Like you, and your weak little wrist.

Did you guys hear her?

Yeah, we all could.

Do you think she's okay?

Well, I went in to give her tea and water this morning, but she was

Do you know what they did exactly?

I don't know.

Do you think the same thing's going to happen to us?

I don't know.

We have to burn down that building.

What?

For whoever's next.

Will they go in?

We can't burn down the building.

Why not?

It's illegal.

Oh, my God, Lou.

Where does school for delinquents?

What they're doing in there is what?

No. What bit are you disagreeing with?

I'm not.

You know what? We need a fire stop.

Yes.

In a jar, light it on fire, throw it through the window. Yeah.

Yeah. Guys.

This isn't funny.

It's not a joke, Louisa. We warned you.

We were dangerous.

I just think that we need to exhaust all other options.

Like what?

What if we get caught?

What are you scared of?

Just exchange part of the marina for your freedom.

No, why do you care so much about that stupid building?

It's not your home.

You've never been inside it before.

Probably never will.

You know, if we get caught, they'll put us all in there.

Yeah, and you can just call your daddy.

You know you won't be put in there.

So I get it.

You don't want to put yourself on the line for us.

Me and Dave, you're done.

Hey!

You won't tell anyone.

The communal nature of the island means the girls can influence each other for

better or worse.

Breaking points can be looked upon in many ways.

While disappointing, initially, they can be the beginning of change for all.

When girls distance themselves from the irredeemable,

They eventually see the light.

And what are the fruits of the Holy Spirit?

Daisy? What?

The fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Um... Okay.

Stand at the back.

Oh, what?

Is there an app on it?

My Bible has whole sections ripped out. I never found out what happened in the

end to Jesus.

I think we all know that he died.

He dies?

Yeah, and then he comes back to life. Stand at the back, Daisy.

Pastor.

Face the wall.

On one leg.

Anyone else want to have a crack at the fruits of the Holy Spirit?

Love,

joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness.

Go on.

Faithfulness, gentleness, and self -control.

Louisa, I knew you'd come around.

It continues. Those who belong to Christ Jesus...

crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

And would you say that you have conquered the desires of the flesh,

Yes, I would say that I have.

I've learnt that when we tend to the garden, we encourage nourishing things

grow and we remove the weeds.

And the same is true of ourselves.

Very good, Louisa.

Do you know what else we learnt?

We harvest what we sow.

Do you reckon she believes all that stuff?

Doesn't matter if you believe it, you just have to know it.

Either way, she's a good liar.

Open. Okay.

Where are these from?

Sewing cloth.

Why are they here?

Little arts and crafts.

These are a weapon.

Do you want to keep this up?

Impressing your shrinking audience with your snide little comments.

So you're impressed?

You'll go from here to prison.

And you'll still think you're better than everyone.

Better than being like you?

Neil.

Thank you.

Lily, look at this.

Nature.

I hate kids. I hate people. I hate everyone.

I'm dead.

I'm dying.

Lily.

Today's lesson is about how the Lord blesses those who come to play in his

garden. Now listen, girls.

It's very important.

How the Lord owned and blessed his favors to the conversion

of the heathen.

Heathens.

Daisy, read Colossians 1, 25.

Daisy, please.

Colossians, Anahira.

Yes, I have a question.

What?

Knowledge, education, the Bible, these are all keys to a civilised society,

right? Being a moral participant in society is the key.

Yes.

Anahira? Is it the new part or the old part, miss?

New Testament on a header. Why aren't you giving us that knowledge?

If you don't teach Daisy to read, she's never going to be able to read.

Excuse me?

We're all here becoming servants.

That's like bottom rung.

How the hell is Daisy going to go to heaven if she can't read and will never

become civilized?

Well, instead of helping her, you just put her in the yard and you tell her to

wait. Okay, that's stupid.

We're not becoming civilized on this bloody island. We're just not becoming

pregnant.

Perhaps that's the best you can hope for.

Fuck you.

Should I take her and tub her, miss?

Thank you, Louisa.

Tracy, help her.

Thank you, girl.

You've been given too long a leash.

Anyone else?

Colossians 1, 25!

You ready?

Yeah.

Jelly, come on.

Bye.

If we find that one of you is responsible for this,

so help me God,

you'll hang.

If you two are sleeping through this, I swear to God, I'll have your guts

forgotten!

Matron!

Matron! What?

Louise is gone.

I think all three of them have gone.

We should sail to the peninsula.

It's the closest beach.

The peninsula?

But I don't know anyone from the peninsula.

It's okay, you'll know us.

The raft and pedals.

We've built everything else here.

We're gonna build this.

Okay.

Daisy, deal with whatever you can find from Barry's toolbox.

Let's look for anything we can use to build the raft.

Oh, and we're going to need the big tins from the kitchen to help us float.

We have to sneak into the school room and pitch whatever tools we can find.

We have to burn down that building.

What?

What are you scared of?

You know you won't get put in there.

So I get it.

If you don't want to put yourself on the line for us.

Hey.

I've thought about it and I'm going to help you with the fire.

Whatever the plan is.

You sure?

Yeah.

I hate that fucking place.

Burn it to the ground.

What is this?

It's our flag. It's a signal we've returned victorious.

Okay, look.

You've got to impress the matron.

You've got to sit at the front.

Say your prayers, speak in tongues, get promoted.

You've got to get the kerosene somehow.

Would you say you've conquered the desires of the flesh, Louisa? I've

that when we tend to the garden, we encourage nourishing things to grow.

And we remove the weeds.

And the same is true of ourselves.

Louisa.

I knew you'd come around.

So don't forget.

You need the kerosene. From the kitchen.

I got it.

I can't believe Metrin called for it.

It's because she likes her. Hey, cuz.

Did you just call me cuz?

Because, cuz.

You sure you're going to be okay in Tracy's house? Of course.

I'm going to miss you.

I'm going to miss you too.

Guys, we are going to burn it down.

Yes!

I'm not becoming civilized on this bloody island. We're just not becoming

pregnant. Perhaps that's the best you can hope for. Fuck you.

Fill it up.

Are you stupid, Nellie?

How are you going to set by to the building if you're locked up inside it?

Oh my god.

Oh my god.

I know.

Come on.

Thank you. Thank you.

Okay, girls, we'll get you to split off into pairs and go look for them.

Inside and out.

You two, go that way.

You two can go that way.

You two come with me.

I ain't got nothing to talk about at all.

And I don't give a damn about y 'all what's in that house.

Well,

pass me the whiskey. Pass me the death.

Pass me whatever the cycle is.

We're all right.

We're all right.