Eagle Vs. Shark

Sometimes quirkiness can get the better of even the most well-meaning screenplay. Quirk for quirk's sake? Happens in lots of films, especially low-budget indies that sport eccentric characters doing comparatively odd things. Quirkiness, like any filmic attribute, should be an ingredient, not the main course. Still, well defined characterizations and screenplays can use quirkiness to distinguish themselves. Merely watching an unconventional man or woman act out isn't necessarily interesting. Conversely, when you see depictions of recognizable people being themselves, warts and all, without seeming to be a filmmaker's (or actor's) contrivance, you have something worth telling your friends about. 

The 2007 film EAGLE VS. SHARK features 2 such characters, though some viewers may disagree. Jarrod (Jermain Clement, probably best known for the wonderful TV program, Flight of the Conchords) is yet another overgrown adolescent who hasn't exactly grabbed adulthood by the reigns. A 30ish, video game jockeying clerk in a video store, he's a poster child for for Peter Pan Syndrome. His lack of maturity involving relationship navigation is painfully observed in director Taika Waititi's comedy/drama. Painfully. He likes fast-food cashier Lilly (Loren Horsley), but instead of a healthy expression of like, he acts out all of the textbook insecurities. He stands her up on a date, then apologizes, stating that he "needed to be alone" that night. He brings her back to his flat after a party, very offhandedly asking if she wants to have sex (or, "sakes", as the New Zealand brogue goes), and the 2 engage in the quickest, most selfish (talking about Jarrod here) motions of self-fulfillment you're likely to see. This adds insult as, prior to that, he spent the evening talking solely about himself, barely allowing her a word. When he does ask a question, she replies that her parents are dead. He relays that his brother and mother are also dead. It's all very understatedly played. Quirky. 

The movie follows their quirky relationship in a dreary Wellington hamlet before they make a trek to Jarrod's father's home. The melancholia continues as we observe the possible wellspring of Jarrod's insecurities; his father still pines for Jarrod's dead brother, the sort of kid who won all the awards. Jarrod's frustrations mount as he repeatedly tries and fails to win over paternal favor. But there's another motive for this trip. While he was in school, Jarrod was terrorized by a local bully, and now it's payback time. Armed with non-existent martial arts "skills", he spends more time obsessing over revenge than relating to Lilly. She finally breaks free, refusing to share a tent with him in the backyard (Jarrod's father had no room in the house for them), and even begins to win over Jarrod's father and sister, actually cracking a joke. This is a big moment for Lilly, an awesomely shy young lady. To me, EAGLE VS. SHARK is really her story. 

Waitiki's screenplay is filled with funny moments, some dry, some a bit broader, some mildly risque, but essentially it is a tale of quiet empowerment. Amid Jarrod's antics is a flowering of a tender soul. The film builds from scene to scene to develop Lilly's confidence. It is a very slow process, as life has not been kind. She'll tolerate creeps like Jarrod because perhaps she feels to be a martyr. Maybe her own mother was treated similiarly. But Lilly also sees, underneath Jarrod's childish veneer, a kindred spirit, someone just as wounded. But she has to heal herself first. This film seemed to be marketed like the next NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, the 2004 sleeper that very amusingly portrayed a very distinctive misanthrope and his small town world. DYNAMITE is a contemporary favorite of mine, as its oddball sense of humor immediately tickled me, but more viewings showed the soul. 

EAGLE VS. SHARK, aside from having a quirky protagonist, is a much different film: more willing to look at the darker impulses of relationship dynamics, psyche. It is often quite depressing, with its depictions of sour people in dank locations. It frequently reminded me of MURIEL'S WEDDING, a gloomy little pic that was marketed quite differently, as a happy romantic sapfest with Abba tunes. In terms of comparisons with DYNAMITE (which are often made), EAGLE VS. SHARK is harder edged, the humor more collegiate, though never gross like so many American films. There are some great bits of comic inspiration and bad taste, especially what happens when Jarrod finally faces his old nemesis. It's so unexpected, so wrong, I was doubled over. There are also Claymation interludes throughout the film, meant to illustrate Jarrod's emotional states. But this is clearly one woman's victory dance, albeit a mellow one. She's not holding up a union sign in a factory like Norma Rae, but she finds her own skin is a comfortable and worthy place. Whether she and Jarrod get or remain together isn't what drives this movie. By the end, I was smiling for Lilly.