Two Minutes, One Cup

Great concept, great escalating gags (particularly the flavour sachet), and great leaning into the horror that is watching someone eat copious amounts of instant noodles

I loved this!

Spoilers ahead

My team loved this too! It had that old-school 48 Hour spirit — straight-up storytelling right out of the gate, with a unique spin on reality.

I thought the miniature noodle cup was adorable — such a great touch as a turning point.

I’m not usually a huge fan of the monster genre, but that said… I better buckle up, because we might get it next year! 😅

A woman going through a rough breakup, plus that one friend who tries to help but actually makes things worse — that hit the nail on the head.

When I first saw the microwave door open. I literally went, “Oh god, that’s a hand!” The setup was perfect — the house flipping upside down gave it that classic American film, make-believe feeling to it.

Also, I did not expect that ending — great hook. Very raw and hilarious.

Well done, Anxious Tummy. Brilliant entry this year.
No nitpicks from me. :)

RS Productions

Now this...THIS is my kind of jam for 48 hours, folks. BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN meets BEAUTY AND THE BEAST with sprinkled with classic kiwi maggie noodle flavour using just the right level of what the fuckedness to propel it to the upper echelons of madcap films I love in this competition. But what sets it apart is that it is technically really strong, with commanding performances and a clever script.

You see rebound attractions and new relationship energy are a very serious thing, and when an overbearing flatmate adds insult to injury its game on when a new man comes into the life of our heartbroken lead. Very clever take of her hungering to both fill her hungry tummy, and for desire.

The set piece to introduce the monster was absolutely phenomenal. It called to mind classic suburban horrors like THE VIDEO DEAD, only this time the metaphysical portal is a microwave rather than a television set.

It's also a really strong example of how if you're going to use a domestic setting, to really make it stand out from the crowd. The depth of field, razor sharp camerawork, set design, costuming and makeup plus interesting use of visual contrast in the frame puts the emphasis on the characters yet keeps things real and relatable.

Most teams I would recommend finding more interesting locations for their films, but Anxious Tummy keep doing what you're doing because it absolutely slaps.

And yet, for all its bonkers setup, and mother of god the noodle monster really is insane, the on screen chemistry breaks down the wall with a lead foot and unconventional love is determined to blossom. Parents? Who cares. Love isn't blind, love is hungry.

The soundtrack here is so tender that it pulls on the heartstrings even as the balancing act between hunger of the heart and hunger of the stomach comes to full fruition.

And the ending makes us FEEL something. Desperation and sadness at something so incredibly weird and funny has shown the film has hit all its marks. Phenomenal job team.