Former tennis coach Dutch has had it hard since he was the victim of a hit and run car accident a year ago. Limping and embittered, he decides to undergo psychic training to unlock his latent mind-control powers, to find and take revenge on the driver. He finds – or rather is found by – Lyra, a witchy disciplinarian who might perhaps be the perfect psychic tutor, much to Dutch’s chagrin. But all is not what it seems and Lyra herself has an ulterior motive, involving her evil brother Haxan, a parallel universe and a cosmic crystal called The Paragon.
Having directed shorts, cooking shows, music videos and episodes of the cult TV show Power Rangers, Michael Duignan’s feature film debut brims with non-stop laughs, budding friendships, the forgiveness of wrongdoings and lo-fi psychedelic antics with a generous serving of sincerity.
The Paragon shifts from a tale of the quotidian revenge of an average suburban guy to a battle of psychedelic mind-control forces. With a uniquely Kiwi brand of laconic humour and sincere love of 1980s sci-fi and fantasy, it’s a midnight movie cosmic adventure straight from the heart.
– Michelle Carey
Trailer
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Film details
- Country of production
- New Zealand
- Year
- 2023
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2024
- Length
- 83"
- Medium/Format
- DCP
