Petrified

Always love your productions. Gorgeous music, great humour, and outstanding costumes 👏

Eddie Paige. What can I say. They are always a highlight in the BOP region.

And this year did they deliver?...

The film hooks you from the first scene and with sharp and funny dialogue whisks you into the story (SPOILERS FROM HERE - PLEASE WATCH FILM, ITS WORTH YOUR TIME!!!). The statue scenes were spot on and well shot. Some extra fun acting in moments take you through this breezy section with great pacing and a floaty tune to boot.

Then the twist came out of left field and I wondered if I had missed something in the intro that would have set it up.

Loved the editing, cinematography and costumes and will happily return to the film to see if I can decipher it better:)

Eddie Page Productions I'll tell you right now I rewound and replayed your living statues talking about a "steelpotato award" at least four or five times I was so dumbstruck! Simply sensational makeup yet again by this very talented Bay of Plenty team that felt like the wheelers from RETURN TO OZ.

My take on this was that we got a lot of the narrative meat and bones relayed to us via the overlaying House of the Rising Sun inspired song about stoney creatures, advising us all to beware as a monster threatened them nearby.

Nicely done song and the visuals were so striking, with on screen performances strong, with what appeared to be some visual allegories about being stuck in dead end commitments.

The finale did take me as a viewer to a different place and I'm trying to ponder exactly what the film was saying because I found just a little bit of disconnect between the monster element and the narrative presented on screen. Was it commentary on reflection/basilisk/medusa and the mirrored match cup presenting the human element? Perhaps a stretch but seemed like maybe? Highly unique, though.

Everytime an EPP film starts you know you're in for a treat. And this year was no different. Great laugh out loud dialogue, impossibly good makeup and production design, and committed acting that will leave grinning.

The story this year - after this second viewing and noticing some more pieces - was both bold and subtle and the final shot of the film is a show stopper!

Well done EPP!!!