Eagle vs Shark film review

certificate_15

EAGLE VS SHARK

Eagle vs Shark desperately wants to be this year's Napoleon Dynamite: the sort of oddball left-field fare that may develop a cult following and lead to bigger and better things for those involved. But although it's likely to find admiration in certain circles, it's equally likely to find disapproval from those who find it too arch for its own good.

This is the story of loser geeks in love. Lily (Loren Horsley) works in a fast food outlet and leads a sad and lonely life. She has a crush on one of her customers, a mullet-haired electronics store worker named Jarrod (Jermaine Clement). They begin to date (going to a costume party in the titular roles), playing video games, visting Jarrod's strange family and eventually settling various misunderstandings as well as a vendetta from Jarrod's schooldays.

Quite what Lily sees in Jarrod is the film's biggest mystery: his personality is as unattractive as his physical demeanour, and instead of being overjoyed at the unlikely female interest she provides, he does everything he can to spoil their union.

The performances reflects the weirdness of the film as a whole. There's no doubt that Horsley and Clement are talented and give their all to the roles, but there's little to latch on to for the audience: not only do the situations they find themselves in seem far-fetched, but they are barely three-dimensional and believable characters.

Director Taika Waititi was nominated for an Oscar for a short film in 2003 and Eagle vs Shark was also nominated for a prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival. But it's too self-consciously strange to have wide commercial appeal, despite the evident promise of those involved.

Paul Hurley