THE PARAGON by Michael Duignan
The Paragon is the story of DUTCH, a crippled and angry ex-tennis coach whose life has fallen apart since he was the victim of a hit-and-run a year ago. In a bid to find the driver and take revenge, Dutch embarks on a strange psychic training course designed to unlock his latent mind powers. Under the strict tutelage of a witchy disciplinarian named LYRA, Dutch reluctantly begins to expand his consciousness. But soon he learns that Lyra actually has a hidden agenda: she needs Dutch’s help to find a mysterious crystal known as THE PARAGON before her evil brother HAXAN and his mind slaves can control it. The two unlikely partners strike a deal; they will use their psychic ability to find what each other is looking for. But by the time Dutch comes face-to-face with the driver who hit him, he starts to see things from a different perspective. When the Paragon falls into the hands of Haxan, Dutch must decide between being a victim of his fate or a slave to cosmic evil.
New Zealand IFF, IFF Rotterdam (Bright Future), OFF Camera FF, Maia IFF (special mention), Sydney IFF, Neuchatel FFF, Fantasia FF, Macabro MX, BUT FF, Future Gate Sci Fi FF (Best Film), Slash FF, FFI Roche Sur Yon (MadMovies award special mention) a.o.
With Jonny Brugh (a.o. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER) as the villain.
"a surreal, faux 80s ode to the likes of John Carpenter and Terry Gilliam" - Jonny Mahon-Heap STUFF
"Zephyr-light and plenty zany, Michael Duignan’s “The Paragon” serves up space-time shenanigans with a smile on its face, in a manner quaintly reminiscent of sci-fi and fantasy B-movies from a bygone era—think “Krull,” “Flash Gordon,” and “Masters of the Universe”—when stilted action sequences, preposterous plots, and kitschy costume design added up to mad spectacles of cheesy, cornball grandeur." - Isaac Feldberg - ROGER EBERT
“a quirky comedy with a big heart, some deliciously shoddy B-film action and some broad strokes drama. What makes The Paragon stand out, is that it delivers on all those fronts.” - Theodoor Steen SCREEN ANARCHY
"A delectable debut from down under, New Zealand writer-director Michael Duignan’s first feature film The Paragon filters the comic sensibilities of Taika Waititi through a sci-fi headtrip of a narrative with canny altered-states visuals, ... anchored by a pair of delightful lead performances." - J Paul Johnson FILM OBSESSIVE
"THE PARAGON is the perfect Midnight Movie... Go after this inconspicuous pearl and remember that revenge is a truly cosmic experience." - Marcin Prymas PELNA SALA
"it fits perfectly into the Zeitgeist of contemporary genre cinema, establishing itself as a nostalgic celebration of psychedelic science fiction from the 70s and 80s, tinged with a sort of reflexivity reverent, with, of course, a banging electro soundtrack!"
"delicious New Zealand humor" - Olivier Thibodeau PANORAMA CINEMA
"a treasure that blurs the lines between genres, mixing fantasy elements with humor and philosophical undertones. " - Chris Jones OVERLY HONEST
Cast
Benedict Wall - Dutch
Florence Noble - Lyra
Jessica Grace Smith - Emily
Michelle Ang - Beth
Shadon Meredith - Oates
Jonny Brugh - Haxan (a.o. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER)
Cameron Rhodes - Enoch
Chloe White - Vinnie
Lucky Lee Morton - Lucky
Crew
Director, Writer, Cinematorgrapher: Michael Duignan / Costume Designer: Lissy Turner / Production Designer: Gavin Walker / Muisic: Lucola / M/U Designer / MU FX: Levonne Scott / Camera Assist: Finn McGowan / LX / Gaffer: Yusei Tada / Sound Recordist: Flynn Harris / Boom Op: Adam Curlewis / Additional Sound: Shamir Rodriguez, Ash Bartley, David Peterson / Executive Producers: Benedict Wall, Jessica Grace-Smith, Francis McEntee, Michael Sweet, Helen Duignan, Josh Blackmore, Paul Newfield, Michael Lonsdale, Hugh Calvely, Thomas Appleton
Technical Information
Original Title: THE PARAGON / shot digital / available for screenings in DCP 25fps / color / 1:2,35 / 5.1 Surround / 83 min / original language English with English subtitles / The Invisible College Ltd, New Zealand 2023
