Compress

Loved the contrast between the dead pan acting and the melodramatic dance shots. Awesome lighting, cinematography and of course dancing! Was hoping for a mother son dance at the end but the ending you guys picked was great too. Great use of puddle.

Work of art this film. Super enjoyable and engaging, great camera work and the transitions from regular moments in time to the dancing sequences where really well executed. Had a blast and enjoyed the entire film. My only critique is I wish the ending had been a bit stronger or more in line with the rest of the film. Great work !

Genuine contender for the overall top Wellington prize, as our lead came to grips with being dumped in an absolutely bravado dazzling display of emotional intensity, conveyed almost exclusively through movement and dance juxtaposed with a damaged soul, with music video quality shots cut in rendering feelings raw where required. The eyeball shots of crying in the rain for example. Just wow. Also a shining example of making sure every single shot was tightly set up and played with just such absolute passion that I was in awe. Sound was perfect, with minimal dialogue other than the dumping and some very wise words of wisdom by people that matter the most in a young person's life. Even included actual high school footage where whoever was on art department duty had actually made an effort. I truly believed these adult actors were in their teens simply on the performances. Camera work on show was absolutely top notch there's very little negative I can think of to say about this film at all. Coming of age nailed? You betcha.

A fresh and original high school movie that ticks some classic boxes of the genre; angst, contemporary dance, actors far too old to play teens.

Yo. Just going to say it, but I hope you win or at least go to nationals... I would just love to see more of your work. I'm not really a review gal so bear with! So first up, completely nailed genre- an absolutely poetic and breathtaking film. I couldn't believe I was watching something made in 48 hours... Your camera movement, cuts, transitions, set design, score, and your actors... just fit so seamlessly together. I loved that you made us kinda giggle a little, but as you continued to show us more, it hit me, you uncovered an undertone of something that felt so real. You choose to show venerability through a 48 hour piece using dance and I totally digged it. Just wow guys..

Delightful short film combing movement, colour and sound to create some truly jaw-dropping moments. The understated beginning, followed by an explosion of inner thought through dance was genius.

I found this film absolutely astonishing. It literally catapulted me into another zone. The juxtaposition of moods and ideas created something of startling depth and poetry as if the human soul was being made visible. Using dance to convey emotion in such a very unique sort of wild way, teetering between control and uncontrolled but also with very beautiful movement and the rain and the tears scene made it almost a surrealist film for me. When the Runner Up award was accepted the filmmakers said they had been addressing teenage suicide and I can see how that added more layers to the depth and haunting poetry of it. I certainly hope this team makes more films. I thought it excelled in every category, and I do hope they upload their film into the screening room so I can show it to lots of people!

Aha! It's me Jeff Goldblum. I enjoyed this as much as any other Goldblum movie. Dark, Satirical and Charming. The Actor was almost as good as one Jeff Goldblum. The Concept was strong as a Goldblums strong Arms Could have had more Jeff Goldllum in it. 10/10 Goldblums

After being dumped by his girlfriend, Donnie is struggling to deal with the emotions in the aftermath. This stylised film deals with relatable themes of teen heartbreak and emotions in an original way using dance, music, sharp cinematography, clever editing choices and stylish incorporation of the required elements. A small criticism, some of the dialogue with the parents came off a touch cliche, so a bit of extra work on dialogue could be good next year. 'Compress' was the runner up in Wellington and made it to the Grand Finals, this is an incredible achievement for this team. I have watched this film so many times and I still love it! I hope you enter it into some other film festivals.