Maybe Daddy

Audio, lighting and Editing top notch. Would not expect anything less from Jovial. But unfortunately the Jovial Entertainment charm is lacking in this short.

Most of my favourite cast have been relegated to background extras. The jokes didn't really hit with me this one. I isn't really engage with the characters, the main character seemed to switch half way through.

Didn't feel like old Jovial.

I loved this beautifully shot short! Great chemistry between the two leads. Loved the premise, great interpretation of the genre, the dangling of the tension/question was well done. Performances were on point, even from the child actor. Final moment a poignant farewell to what could have been.

What an exceptionally shot film. The simple setting was elevated by top notch production design and a DOP and lighting team that are clearly professionals in every sense.
It was a real treat seeing some familiar faces from the stunning film they brought to us last festival.
(Constructive criticism ahead) A simple slice of life that hinted at a larger story... but perhaps this is my gripe. When coming up with ideas of what story to put forward is this the quintessential or crucial moment of the characters lives?
I say this as a huge fan of the Jovial teams films and know the dizzyingly high highs they've provided in the past. I think the story was the weakest aspect... another speed dating film and nothing of consequence happens to any of the characters. They all end where they started. I'm only being harsh because of how great this team is!

All that said... this film is another feather in their caps for so many aspects and I know they have so much creative juice and talent to blow us away again in the coming years

Jovial Entertainment!
Yes — I loved you guys last year, and it’s amazing to have you back this year too.

Spoilers ahead

Yes, speed dating — and especially for those of us born in the '90s, there's usually a kid in the picture.

When she said “that’s hot,” it was a good one. I think being out of touch with the dating scene is totally relatable.
The direction of the conversation flowed well — from when they realized they knew each other to when he started putting two and two together.

That said, adherence to the genre fell a bit short for me. Traditionally, cat and mouse fits more of a protagonist/antagonist dynamic — with a clear hunter and runner.

In this case, the film wasn’t about her getting away, but rather about the circumstances of the event becoming the obstacle for him.

But overall, I really enjoyed the film. It was well-told and looked fantastic. The script felt authentic to the characters, and it definitely unlocked some core memories for me as a viewer — lots of relatable and “ahhh” moments throughout.

Visually speaking — Maybe Daddy might be the best-looking film of the year in my books. The green/blue walls paired beautifully with the yellow/orange tones. It really made the subjects pop, and I just sat there thinking, “Damn, this is beautiful.”

No errors in editing, sound, or technical execution as far as I could tell — the film felt polished.

Great work, Jovial Entertainment.

Wow Jovial I remember to speaking to a couple of people briefly after noticing the ADR in your film last year post grand final and it was pretty cool to see you absolutely knock your audio out of the park. Most people will of course probably be more blown away again by your incredibly clean video that seems right off the top shelf of a very high budget international TV show.

Only the immediate problem is that blind date films have been done to death in 48 Hours. For me Apple Fork really did a drop the mic film in this subgenre in 2022 so I was a little surprised to see you take this approach. And because it was a whole lot of sit down and talking it meant that the superb visuals on display here possibly didn't elevate the film as much as they could have in my opinion.

However! You were never going to be giving us a standard romcom rotating cast of characters and funny or lovely payoff were you? So fairly impressive to see the script flipped on its head so to speak.

So for me the film played like a game of two halves and I think it worked and evolved towards a very clever conclusion. But ultimately was that a shoehorning in of the cat and mouse genre? Honestly with the change of protagonist it really did feel like that.

Beautiful and technically bulletproof, but not quite having impactful enough stakes this year for the pointy end of the competition, I feel.

Such a great film. An absolute standout at the Grand Finals.
The story was well set up, and the actors took us with them beautifully.
Cinematography was crisp throughout.
Well worth a rewatch, or two