Synopsis: Prompted by the success of director Jane Campion's THE PIANO, some of her early short films have been collected to examine the roots of her highly original artistry. The first, PEEL, chronicles a breakdown in the family when a father stops his car by the side of the road in order to try to force his... Prompted by the success of director Jane Campion's THE PIANO, some of her early short films have been collected to examine the roots of her highly original artistry. The first, PEEL, chronicles a breakdown in the family when a father stops his car by the side of the road in order to try to force his son and sister to pick up discarded orange peels. PASSIONLESS MOMENTS is a hilarious series of vignettes capturing unusual instances in people's daily routines. The longest and most distinctly Campionesque of the films is A GIRL'S OWN STORY, an intense, darkly comic look at schoolgirls trapped in dreary domestic settings who find their repressed sexuality bursting forth in perverse ways. Filled with the mix of grungy realism and surrealistic grace that would mark her later features, the film offers such unusual sights as girls dressed as angels singing rock & roll, or kissing each other in Beatles' masks. This terrific collection makes for an intriguing look at an unusual and brilliant artist growing into her craft. [More]