The Paragon: NZIFF Review

Director and writer Michael Duignan's lo-fi thriller comedy The Paragon may be infused with a touch of sci-fi trappings throughout, but it's also one of the oddest oddball road movies Aotearoa has ever produced.

Benedict Wall plays Dutch, a recently killed victim of a hit and run who comes back to life, only to find it's all falling apart for him. Things get weirder - and worse - when he seeks the help of mysterious hooded psychic Lyra (Florence Noble) to teach him how to use telepathy to find the person who hit him.

But Lyra discovers Dutch has special powers and could be the key to helping her find the mysterious Paragon crystal.

Made for a $25K budget may be the headline of many people's comments on The Paragon - and in truth, it does show at times - but that's to dismiss a lot of the deadpan wit and offkilter moments that come from this Kiwi flick.

Similar to previous NZIFF outing Mega Time Squad, The Paragon channels the quintessential dry humour that permeates so much of the cinematic DNA as well as the can-do attitude that powers much of the film-making community.

Wall and Noble's duo are one for the ages as weird psychedelic edges clash with dialogue spouting such seemingly highfalutin ideas as "hyperdimensional consciousness" (knowingly dismissed by Wall's Dutch who claims "I don't believe in that woowoo bullshit" throughout) for unusual comic effect.

A lo-fi cosmic buddy film it may be, and its ambition may occasionally fall short of its execution, but for a premise that's rooted in character and interactions, The Paragon soars when it should - and emerges as one of the trippier entrants into the festival that's well worth a look.