John Calder and Bronwyn Calder with cast and crew of Stranded Pearl at a screening at Event Cinemas Manukau, NZ. 12 Sep 2024.
Producer and male lead actor Aunanda Naaido pulls off an impressive indie achievement to film across a big variety of locations in the Cook Islands. If this very ambitious project was filmed under pressure I can see no sign of it. The cinematography features excellent coverage of points of view. Female lead Kristy Wright has the time and space to take the title character on a personal journey from workaholic corporate leader to a more balanced person becoming aware of environmental issues - a journey triggered by being stranded on a desert island. The vibe through the early and middle scenes reminds me of classic Hollywood romantic comedies like The African Queen (1951) with Aunanda Naaido and Kristy Wright doing a fine job as the new Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. The final Act takes a different dramatic direction where of course I cannot say more because of the "no spoilers!" rule. Except to say that one of the many plot twists is borrowed from William Shakespeare and as a Shakespeare fan I gotta love that.
No comments:
Post a Comment