The Paragon

AroView: A paragon of local DIY film-making that makes a virtue of its constraints, this paranormal comedy written, directed, shot and edited by first time feature film-maker Michael Duignan feels sure of its destiny and manages to score a high dopamine hit-rate along its lean, 83-minute journey.

Set in West Auckland, Benedict Wall plays the indignant victim of a hit-and-run accident who resorts to enlisting a psychic coach (Florence Noble) to help him track down the driver and exact his revenge. The misguided avenger and his earnest mentor make a comic doubles pairing that feels familiar yet fresh, while is restrained enough to leave the inglorious scene-stealing to Jonny Brugh (What We Do in The Shadows, Mega Time Squad) as a super-natural evil-doer called ‘Haxan’.

“The spirit of shoestring-budget, seat-of-your-pants filmmaking of the most inventive sort is alive in Aotearoa, in this homegrown psychedelic fantasy.” ~NZIFF

• Rave reviews from the USA:

“Everything I want from a quirky indie comedy.” ~Brett Arnold, Roger & Me (podcast)

“The film achieves unlikely greatness.” ~Joseph Tomastik, Loud and Clear

“It’s hard to find much fault with a film so sincere about being this silly… This is an offbeat, low-stakes original that casts a simple, surprising spell.” ~Isaac Feldberg, RogerEbert.com

“A delectable debut from down under… anchored by a pair of delightful lead performances.” ~J. Paul Johnson, Film Obsessive

“A richly rewarding viewing experience for those seeking depth and originality in the indie film scene.” ~Chris Jones, Overly Honest Reviews

“This no-budget comedy about a psychic loser is a winner.” ~Theodoor Steen, Screen Anarchy