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
Cast
Benedict Wall , Florence Noble , Jonny Brugh , Michelle Ang , Jessica Grace Smith , Shadon Meredith , Cameron Rhodes
Director
Language
English
Subtitles
English, Español
Country
Aotearoa New Zealand
Studio
Invisible College