An intimate tribute to the life and work of one of Australia & New Zealand’s greatest satirists, John Clarke, told through the eyes of his daughter Lorin. In public, Clarke was famously guarded about his life, but at home he was an open book.

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Through a remarkable series of recorded conversations, we trace his steadfast resistance to authority back to his childhood; unpack his controversial decision to leave New Zealand for Australia in 1977; and gain delightful insights into his four decades in the entertainment industry.

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Weaving together personal anecdotes, a rich television archive, tales from international comedy greats and the riches from more than 200 boxes of his work and letters, this film is a daughter gifting her father back to his audience.

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I, like most Kiwi’s, was introduced to Fred Dagg aka John Clarke (or is it the other way around?), as a cultural rite of passage. From belting out his Gumboots song at primary school to air punching with national pride at Clarke’s We Don’t Know How Lucky We Are song as it was revived in the late 90’s, Clarke was very much a part of my growing up. 

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But who truly was the real John Clarke behind the cultural NZ figure of Fred Dagg and the bumbling yet hilarious Australian politician? His daughter, bereft at his untimely passing, searches through home video, audio recordings, and anecdotes from friends to find out. 

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And the journey that she and us as the audience goes on is truly wondrous. Exploring his childhood, unhappy time at a private school, and his blossoming at university, we begin to discover the sensitive and well thought man behind arguably New Zealand’s greatest cultural icon. 

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This is achieved through not only interviews (positioned more like informal chats) and through his friends like Sam Neill reading portions of his reflections. Not Only Fred Dagg is not only a heartwarming doco, but an absolutely necessary one as it explores the pop cultural birth of New Zealand as we began to differentiate ourselves from the UK. 

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A heartwarming and truly life affirming documenting of the life of one of New Zealand’s greats, Not Only Fred Dagg is an absolute must watch and one of the best films of the year.

★★★★★