Caterpillar
7.2
“When memory begins to fade, love is put to the test.”
Three generations living under one leaky Wellington roof in 2003, all on the brink of transformation. Sixteen-year-old Cassie is all bravado and vulnerability, drifting into risky territory as she searches for validation in all the wrong places. Her mother Maxine, 52, a formidable single-mother filmmaker on the brink of a long-awaited breakthrough, is finally offered a greenlight - if she can just land a star. Holding everything together is Huia, Cassie’s grandmother, 80, whose life has been defined by quiet service to family and a private obsession with raising monarch caterpillars, dreaming of one day witnessing the legendary butterfly migration in Mexico. But when Huia’s mind begins to fail her, the family is thrust into chaos. Can the maternal line hold together while everything is throwing them apart?
Where to watch
Not streaming anywhere
Not on any streaming service in United States, and not available to rent.
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Cast
9 people
Marta Dusseldorp
Maxine
Known for
Stateless
Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt)
Lisa Harrow
Huia
Known for
The Final Conflict
Anais Shand
Cassie
Also in
The Shannara Chronicles
One of Us Is Lying
Kirimaia Noel
Awhi
No other roles listed
Matt Whelan
Cam
Known for
Narcos
Apex
Matty Rockel
Mason
Known for
Time Bandits
Tanea Heke
Also in
After the Party
Waru
Cohen Holloway
Known for
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
The Power of the Dog
Tara Canton
Waitress
Also in
After the Party
A Remarkable Place to Die
Chelsie Preston Crayford Director · Jonathan Woodford-Robinson Editor Heather Hayward Production designer
First release May 6, 2026 · Produced in New Zealand · Production New Zealand Film Commission
Production
Miss Conception Films
Production
New Zealand Film Commission
Production
New Zealand
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English
Release dates
New Zealand · May 6, 2026
Premiere · Embassy Theatre, Wellington
New Zealand · May 14, 2026
Theatrical
No release date listed for United States.
Australia
August 29, 2026 · Premiere · CinefestOZ
September 16, 2026 · Physical
New Zealand
May 7, 2026 · Premiere · The Hollywood Avondale, Auckland
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