A new short documentary about a true and terrifying ordeal feels like essential viewing for all New Zealanders.
Kiwi filmmakers Liv McClymont and Jessica Todd made 'The Man Outside' after one of their friends, known as May, was relentlessly stalked by her ex-boyfriend and let down by the law.
The 11-minute film has been released by Loading Docs as part of the documentary platform's 10th season, and highlights the urgent need for stalking laws in Aotearoa.
Yep, even though stalking has been criminalised in the UK, the US and Australia, stalking is somehow still not a punishable offence in New Zealand.
May's story will have your heart pounding from the first 10 seconds, as she and her flatmates find themselves in a waking nightmare with no end in sight.
Despite her ex's break-in attempts, worrying text messages and constant lurking outside at night, police are unable to intervene without "proof", so the flat opts to install their own security cameras. What May finds when she reviews the footage will make your stomach twist.
So many women will also have that same reaction when they hear what May's terrified mother tells her about her ex's increasingly concerning behaviour:
This isn't heartbreak, he's angry.
The real-life thriller doesn't end when police do finally intervene, either. I can only imagine what it must feel like to have the cops tell you: "Maybe don't go home tonight".
Despite how shocking it is, May's story is an all too common one. One in three women in Aotearoa have experienced some form of violence from an intimate partner, and legal reform is a key step in changing that.
'The Man Outside' isn't a comfortable watch, but everyone should see it.
