Eagle vs Shark

  • 87'
  • New Zealand
  • 2007
Lily is the kind of wallflower that for some reason remains faithful to the indifferent world around her. Nothing about her is quite right. Wrong dress, wrong walk, wrong words. The high point of her monotonous days behind the counter in a fast-food restaurant is the daily order by Jarrod also socially awkward, but a born salesman. Just like her, he has a little mole above his top lip and Lily is convinced that this gives them a special bond. While Jarrod is not interested in the timid Lily, she ends up in his life after all when she is willing to take him back to his birthplace. When he arrives, Jarrod only wants to get back at the kids who used to bully him.
Eagle vs Shark is a dry comedy that leans successfully on New Zealand understatement and restrained yet refined acting. The director developed the plot filled with familiar adolescent problems based on his own childhood experiences and those of his protagonists. Yet Lily and Jarrod never become ordinary kids and it is that offbeat quality that turns the film into an intriguing love drama. (EH)

Director
Taika Waititi
Premiere
European premiere
Country of production
New Zealand
Year
2007
Festival Edition
IFFR 2007
Length
87'
Medium
35mm
Language
English
Producers
Ainsley Gardiner, Cliff Curtis, Emanuel Michael
Production Company
Whenua Films Limited
Sales
New Zealand Film Commission
Screenplay
Taika Waititi
Cinematography
Adam Clark
Editor
Jono Woodford-Robinson
Production Design
Joe Bleakley
Music
The Phoenix Foundation
Cast
Loren Horsley, Rachel House, Jemaine Clement
Director
Taika Waititi
Premiere
European premiere
Country of production
New Zealand
Year
2007
Festival Edition
IFFR 2007
Length
87'
Medium
35mm
Language
English
Producers
Ainsley Gardiner, Cliff Curtis, Emanuel Michael
Production Company
Whenua Films Limited
Sales
New Zealand Film Commission
Screenplay
Taika Waititi
Cinematography
Adam Clark
Editor
Jono Woodford-Robinson
Production Design
Joe Bleakley
Music
The Phoenix Foundation
Cast
Loren Horsley, Rachel House, Jemaine Clement