Front Yard

Beautiful and heartbreaking. Really clever subtle script. I'll definitely be thinking about this one for a while.

The sense of longing for something you can never quit is exquisitely handled by Twotors in a genuine challenger for this year's competition. When is a cigarette not just a cigarette? Yeah this is the good stuff, the intense, heartfelt intimate sort of drama that 48 has been looking for for years.

Dad jokes give likeability to our characters, dad challenges gives reality for our lead who is struggling to make sense of their place in the world, and borrowing a quick puff from their neighbour leads to them opening up.

Dialogue here was delivered with aplomb. Just the right amount of weighting for each and every line to let us in through the window as time passes. Hearts beat, infants cry and self acceptance balances on the precipice in the compare and contrast of very different lives that have more in common than is first thought.

Those who can't do, teach. Been sitting on that for a while and combined with how events unfolded made me think just how brilliant you were with suggestion and pressing home the pressures and burdens of every day life.

Technically absolutely on point. Framing, edit, grade, sound all first class with the key moments of visual panache splashed in giving the film everything it needed to be visually arresting. And when you're technically bulletproof in terms of what you've set out to achieve then there's nothing to fault and everything to champion.

For me this is one of the best directed 48 Hours films I've ever seen. It has sat with me all day. What a wonderful film.

Yeah, this is great. So simple in it's approach, it is a great lesson for everyone in less is more. Yet there so also so much going on - great dialogue, well acted, brilliantly use of silence, technically so slick looking. The tension is great but I love a film that has a sense of dread (there's no real joy here); and an ambiguous ending. And this has both. Are they really into "that" or are they just craving a human connection? Or just in denial. Life is complicated I guess is the message.

I really hope this goes a way in the competition. A serious film with some depth and actual story - something that has gone missing a bit in the 48. Set to be one of my all time favourites. Superb work!

This was a joy to watch.

One of my best pick from the wellington heats, every interaction between the two you learn a bit more. It was like layers of development and whilst showing hidden themes packed into one.

Front Yard takes the cake when your fully engaged to the characters, you invest and take their side. The dialogue was clever, you could relate to these gentlemens and it hits such hard topics that we find hard to open up about.

The turning point where he lights up his ciggerate was so powerful.

simple concept but well directed and the actors captured the characters really well.

Great entry for this year guys.

Twotors made an excellent, simple film filled with great dialogue and a hard-hitting concept. One of my favourite shots definitely has to be the pull-focus to the empty yard. Great use of a repeated technical element to propel the narrative forward. The story is fantastic, you empathise for these two characters and you want things to be different, but they're not. Great filmmaking that's made even more impressive that they were a duo team (like, how do people do this?!). It was lovely to have met these two talented filmmakers in person at the Wellington Finals and I'm looking forward to see what they produce next!