Eagle vs Shark [M]

On the day Lily is fired from her job at Meaty Boy, she finally musters up the courage to attend Jarrod’s, a boy she’s has a crush on, annual “come as your favourite animal” costume party. The affair sparks the beginning of an awkward romance that grows when the pair takes a journey to Jarrod’s hometown. 

This is a really off-centre indie romantic comedy, but one that I absolutely loved. It’s a simple story, has a unique soundtrack, and the performances from the two leads are absolutely brilliant. 

On the day that Lily loses her job at the fast-food restaurant, Meaty Boy, she finally musters up the courage to attend Jarrod’s, a boy she has a crush on, annual “come as your favourite animal” costume party. This affair sparks the beginning of an awkward romance, which grows when the pair journey to Jarrod’s quiet hometown so that he can lay some old ghosts to rest.  

A film by Taika Waititi, Eagle vs Shark has to be the best indie romantic comedy of all time. I think what makes the film really interesting and quirky is that it occasionally uses stop motion animated to show the journey of two apples that find each other. This little side story mirrors the happenings of the lead characters Lily and Jarrod and I found that it was a really clever and different sort of screen entertainment. 

Loren Horsley wrote the story and also stars as Lily, the film’s heroine. Proving that true beauty lies within, Loren’s performance was nothing short of genius. She was innocent, introverted, and had a tiny amount of a free spirit in her character. She lights up the screen and you’re on her side the whole way. 

Jemaine Clement stars as Jarrod, the film’s hero, and he was brilliant. An outwardly complex character, who really is just looking for attention and acknowledgement of his talents, the character of Jarrod is the central one that keeps the story moving forward. Some might say that he is the catalyst (a word which I have not used since year 10 science class) that causes the other characters to react and form solutions. Jemaine was angry, sincere, egotistical, cynical, and aggressively blunt. Playing a part like that is harder than it looks and Jemaine did a great job. 

Filled with romance, embarrassments, feuds, neglect, and a few rather dark and depressing moments, Eagle vs Shark was a wonderful indie romantic comedy that was really off the beaten track. It’s an absolute subtle delight from start to finish.