Tide

Beautifully shot with FANTASTIC duel performances and well-written characters to boot, 'Tide' easily earned its position in the Auckland City finals. However, with the subject matter King Gains-Bury & Biches wanted to tackle at the end, 7 minutes really doesn't feel like enough time to sell it. It was done as well as it could, but I felt pretty emotionally distant from the conclusion. As a minor note: That line about "Growing some balls" has also been taken from somewhere else - felt it could have been modified or ditched.

Two friends meet up for one last night of craziness. Of all the national finalists films this year, "Tide" was certainly the one that occupied my thoughts the most. Beautifully shot, superbly acted and with a story that makes you smile a lot even whilst knowing that there is a very grim undercurrent to it. The ending has proven somewhat polarizing but for me it just added to the intrigue. I do want to know why it came to that course of action, but I'm also glad the film-makers didn't give any real explanation apart from a reference to being unhappy, as it has made me try and fill in the gaps. Cancer, a brain tumor etc would have been an obvious and overused way to go. Likewise the actions of Amanda Billing's character are shocking at first, but can be also be considered the ultimate act of friendship. A film that could stand on its own outside of the 48. Loved it.