Eagle Vs Shark (2007) Director: Taika Waititi


This is a delightful New Zealand 'rom com' but not in the traditional sense; we're not talking Kate Hudson or Matthew McCoughaney here - more two social misfits falling in love in a very Napoleon Dynamite like type way.

Lily (Loren Horsley - all wide eyed and awkward mouthed) doesn't have much going on in her life. She loses her job at the Meaty Boy fast food restaurant and lives with her cartoonist brother. However, she is quite obssessed with the strange Jarrod (a brilliant Jemaine Clement) and invites herself to his 'animal fancy dress' party where she impresses him with her video gaming skills. And there, an odd tale becomes even odder when Jarrod sets out to beat up a childhood bully and Lily travels with him to meet his family in his home town.

It's a beautiful story; very original and very, very funny. Both Horsley and Clement are fantastic in their portrayls of these unusual protagonists and the story pans out in unexpected ways. There are some scenes and dialogue of great humour and this is a refreshing watch to the majority of the Hollywood dross which is out there. A huge success for NZ film-making and a hidden gem for everyone to seek out.

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