I MetaMan™

A polished film with entertaining characters who were a delightful caricature of real life. The indignation was palpable. We all recognised those moments of insecurity, frustration, and loathing that permeate our existence, alongside the moments of perfection that we all dream to have.

This film really gets you thinking about how we deal with each other's foibles. Is the perfect partner we imagine real, or is it a commoditised construct that we sell each other? Are we looking for love, or are we looking for a fairy-tale facade?

This was a highly polished film, very high quality, but to be honest does not feel like a 48hours film. It does not fit the genre, and the elements are included entirely as minor references. The film was clearly planned and prepared for well in advance, the team stuck with the pre-prepared plan regardless of the genre, and with the mandatory elements shoehorned in at the last minute. This results in an overpolished feel, that lacks the heart of other 48hours film entries.

First thing's first is this the best title for a 48 Hours film ever? Incredibly layered take that speaks to both deep human introspection for connection and a jovial laugh at the same time.

I METAMAN is one of the most polished films I have ever seen in the competition, with a sumptuous grade to kick things off straight out of a Versace commercial, flawlessly lensed with tight cinematic framing and rhythmic drums quite literally setting the pace for things to come. The match from rhythm of percussion to the metaphoric search for satisfaction in relation to the human body clock is quite out of this world thematically.

And then the sound. My goodness my ears were pleased here with a masterclass in sound design working to channel the direction of the film as subtle shifts and edits drew me in as a listener and viewer. Centre, right and left dialogue perfectly on point as were highlighted sound effects such as the wheeled onto stage moment, or little things like the hand out of the box having just the right foley.

Performances so bold, so confident that it's hard to fathom them actually been garnered in the time constraints of the competition. Wonderful to see two leadings ladies tearing up the screen with relatable down to earth charisma, whilst the superficial date and stage manager both worked as excellent comic relief to elevate the film.

Whilst obviously access to the Court Theatre gave the team a leg up, they still had to frame and light and grade the damn thing and boy did they pull it off with aplomb. I also can't imagine the grind and effort to pull off the finale.

Speaking of which I'm not a spoiler guy but that ending got me really damn good. It's one of those obvious yet not obvious moment that you wish you yourself were clever enough to come up with because Chester and Paul that's a bulletproof full circle conclusion if ever I saw one.

Now, elephant in the room time for some. The genre. To me this is a 10/10 subversion of the Man vs Nature genre by An Evening With, but I do wonder if some viewers will get slightly confused given Man Vs Machine was also in the competition this year. And does it work as the central driver of the narrative or is it more that the subversion is an underlying element? For me it knocks it out of the park on the subversion front and is critical to the film's success.

I'm not quite calling it a perfect 48 film as I think it could potentially have done with a story beat somewhere with ever slightly more energy such as more character movement. But it's damn close to a perfect 48 film and that's just me nitpicking.

Well done team you have blown me away for a 2nd year in a row!

This film is really well made and put together. The cinematography and colour grading are phenomenal, the sets are great, and i really enjoyed the story. The acting impressed me a lot too, as did the variety in sets used. This was a really well put together film that I really enjoyed watching, the quality of it really blew me away

My biggest issue with last year's Zero Mum Game would be that the visuals were slightly lacking. It was excellently shot! But excellently shot in ordinarily-lit houses.
I MetaMan™ (which should have been titled iMetaMan) vastly improves on this issue. The shot in the bar/warehouse/studio was truly inspired and visually striking. And the late night back alley stake out looked great too.

I was confused by the choice to paint the robot man's nails until *that moment*. Then I realized how vital that seemingly minor detail was.
The frantic whip pans which follow that moment were superb. The obvious (and less effective) way to execute that moment would be with a very wide locked off shot.

Alright, that's a lot of praise so now I'll say that the cheating plot beat didn't really work for me. I felt that the film was setting up a commentary on the pursuit of a "perfect" partner being impossible due to everyone's inherent individualism and humanity. Perhaps even saying something about the many people forming relationships with ChatGPT; a conversational partner designed to agree with everything the user says.
To have him just cheat on her made me question why he was even depicted as a robot. Why not have him just be a human man?? A question especially prescient considering the assigned genre.

well it looks like "An evening with" is winning again. Great story. I lovvvveeee the shot of the camera zooming out to reveal the studio.

Well, this could be the winner BUT I really do wonder if the genre is gonna hold this back for maximum points with the judges. Clearly these are the pros at work. The set ups, the locations, the beautifully shot montage. The super quick edits are what I aspire for! This team does not need to be glazed up, they know they cooked with this. But it REALLY feels like a man vs machine film, rather than man vs nature. I have seen some “creative” takes explaining WHY this actually a clever subversion of the man vs nature genre, but I don’t know if the judges will see it that way (and I know that’s rich coming from me and my “””road’’’ film / ’’’fairytale’’’’ film but im playing a whole different game here) I will say that SOMEHOW it's a step up from last year, which already set the bar SO SO high. Curse this local talent!! Can’t think of anything else these guys need to improve on. Although it’s not the style of 48hours film I want to make, it is VERY inspiring from a filmmaking perspective, with how much went into this and how it pays off, all within one weekend. I would love to see these guys have a crack at a local no-budget comedy feature. Nicely done An Evening With, I look forward to seeing this at the finals.

HOLY BATMAN, BATMAN.
Where to start? After seeing what AEW pulled off last year it was clear that there is an abundance of talent driving this team... but... did they repeat? Taking it up a level in every aspect. A tight story which economically crams so much world building into clever/natural dialogue. A twist for the ages (very black mirror which is damn high praise).
And definitely the most seamless and unique integration of the miniature element I've seen in any film.
YES THEY REPEATED AND BETTERED THEMSELVES
Top their cinematography-locations-acting-sound... all the things!

Each year there are a few films that stand out as the next evolution of films for this comp... and this may very well be that film this year!!

A stunningly polished film with beautiful visuals and acting. Definitely a step up in visual style from last year. I personally connected more with Zero Mum Game because the story wrapped around and ended in such a satisfying way, whereas with this one the twist didn't land for me or feel earned and the elements didn't feel integrated or purposeful. I was left trying to piece together some of the choices and themes and still it still feels a bit undone. Still, an incredibly impressive achievement that really showcases the team’s talent. I hope I can one day make films this polished.

I've spent the last year scheming ways to beat this team. It's almost become an animal instinct that I have to escape my own PEASANTRY.
I'm working on it, just keep that bias in mind.

I was impressed by this team's ambition to go bigger than last year.
The reveal of the studio was really awesome. I'm a real sucker for 'using a film studio as an in-universe studio setting'. That space looked incredible and I would SELL my pinkie for a tour. 🐭

The cinematography felt at times like a big step up! There were some real standout shots, such as the aforementioned "pull out".
Other moments however, such as the numerous shot/reverse shot conversations lacked zest. By the end, things definitely felt more commercial than cinematic...
Or like a Netflix movie.

I mean, this team is perfectly capable of achieving a more cinematic look. I'd love to see them go for it!

I was slightly disappointed by the reveal for a couple reasons, one of which I won't say here!
But I thought that we needed some nice split screen shots with multiple Wills at once.

I thought the twist was quite clever! Obviously, she would have noticed being in a room with 10 of her exes, but it's fine! She was distracted!
It also absolves her Robot! That lady was twerking on a different robot in that alleyway!

I guess I wanna see this team do something really impressive and unexpected? Show off some recourses the audience is truly incapable of predicting!

Uuuh, Chester remade Companion, I remade Interstellar?

I'm rewriting this review because I swear I'd reviewed and publish it early but there's no evidence of that. It probably went something like this:

First, I'd like to give a the props, wardrobe, and locations teams my fullest congratulations. Cause when I imagine on Friday night Chester said "here's the long list of every single set up, location and scene we're shooting". Any sane person would've told him to get stuffed.

And if the sheer quantity of film isn't enough for you, the fact that it's executed so well is mind boggling. Every frame is filled with class and the sound design is perfect compliments the unfolding narrative.

And lastly, could the Dama cameos get any better? Ka rawe team

To clarify my earlier comment: Firstly, this is the most professional looking film in the whole Christchurch heats, and one of the most likely to win the regional title. The team did extremely well and I am certainly impressed by what they pulled together. It is an enjoyable film and very well produced.

But, although an argument can be made that it fits the genre of "man vs nature" (as has been outlined above), an equally good argument could be made for it being the buddy movie (she's finding a buddy), cat and mouse (she's hunting for a companion), man vs machine, fairytale (finding a fake fairytale perfect man), or monster (creepy robot man). And that's half the genres in the competition. What's more, it could have been made to fit most others with minimal additions - e.g. she's a widow and her husband turns up, now it's a ghost movie; going on holiday with the robot, now it's a holiday movie, etc. It's a bit like reading the horoscopes in the paper, and noticing they're all vague enough to apply to you.

So it's not the sort of story you'd write after hearing your genre was "man vs nature". It's the sort of story you'd have written beforehand, hoping to make it fit any genre.

And it's completely understandable. This team is clearly gunning for the national title, and that's a massive challenge. Of course you'd prepare. I may be wrong in my assumptions here, but I just feel that they swung the balance a little too far, pre-preparing too much and becoming too inflexible, and it will cost them in the judging. It is possible to create a high quality film that was clearly written to fit the given genre, "Spoiler Alert" being a very good example which will give them tough competition.

Hi DennisChief! We're very flattered by the interest you’ve taken in our film. The fact that you find it so polished and well-rounded, as to suggest it was pre-planned, is a huge compliment and we all thank you very much.

The fact of the matter is, it was not. We have quite an experienced and a very lean team. We are all fairly adept at breaking story quickly and have a good work flow for how we shoot.

But even that being said, we didn’t finish our script until 3.30am and shot from dawn until after midnight on the Saturday.

If you are not onboard with our subversion of the genre that is totally fine! I welcome that critique, and we knew the risk we were taking as we were making it. But I can assure you that were we going to pre-write and preplan a film it would have been a little more impressive and sophisticated than this one!

Love your work, by the way, and looking forward to all the magic you bring to us in future!

Thanks for the correction chestertravis, clearly I was very mistaken with my assumptions as to how you got there! I'll see you at the finals, and good luck.

What got my attention:
Of course, nicely shot, lit, music all that – never in question with this team as they have the goods. The acting is strong – even if a bit theatrical at times. Team loves a montage and they’re well delivered. Nice sight gags – the book the Metaman is reading. The “He’s Everywhere” reveal was great. So smoothly constructed.

Take it or Leave it:
Music mix? Too loud early on? Maybe I’m just an old man now. The jump cuts by the first Metaman are quite jarring and maybe unnecessary – first time through I thought he was supposed to be glitching. The small ice-cream? – ridiculous really and unnecessary. It seems only there to shoe-horn the element in. Or is it a penis joke? Maybe over-reading it but is there some commentary in here about all men being the same? The “Men…are a lot” line gives this short a slightly trite anti-male vibe that is probably only balanced up by the entitled perfection in a partner demands of the women. Hopefully, that’s the message – we all suck. Yeah, the genre thing – it more and more doesn’t seem to matter in this comp. If it’s a good, slick film that appears to trump any genre queries unless you need to find a reason to discount it when deciding the big award. I think it is a clever subversion here.

Final thoughts:
How did you manage to get Lorde to cameo in your film? The resources some people have...sigh. No doubt will do pretty well in this comp but lacks the charm and comedy of last year’s entry and your poster/thumbnail…yeech. You should have used AI…haha.

Nice work on making the CHCH final again. Along with RAJ you make some of the higher quality all-round films in Ōtautahi and what's more the people love them.

This is fascinating. Truly fascinating. This is a film that feels like such a massive step up for An Evening With compared to last year’s Zero Mum Game - and yet it didn’t quite grab the absolute top spot this time around. That alone tells you something about the competition this year: the bar is sky-high, the judges are scrutinising over things that you don’t always expect, and even when a film improves in every measurable way, sometimes it still ends up fighting uphill for recognition.

For me, the “step up” comes from the literal journey this film takes you on. The variety of locations, the transitions from one beautiful space to another - it’s cinematic worldbuilding at a level we rarely get to see in this comp. The pacing flows beautifully, and the way we travel alongside the story keeps us engaged from start to finish. Watching this again at finals, I found myself thinking: yeah, this has been a bit snubbed.

Some obvious bullseyes: The performances are excellent. The leads carry the weight with charisma and vulnerability, while the supporting roles add colour and comic relief at just the right beats. This film looks expensive! Way more than last year. Whether in the Court Theatre space, on the street, or in intimate closeups, every frame hums with intent. And let’s not gloss over the sound design and editing either, well deserved awards and these guys make it look easy.

Now, of course, the elephant in the room is genre. As I told Chester in person, the judges were exhausted by the time we were talking I MetaMan, and I can hardly blame them. This really was the year the judging panel lost its collective mind over genre adherence, or maybe it always is like this and I just have a lot to learn about this side of the comp still.

Their comments about genre were basically: “not really Man vs Nature, but at least it’s absolutely gorgeous.” And honestly? Fair enough. But personally, I really enjoyed the choice of subversion. Not every audience member will read it that way - some have already exclaimed it to be much more Man vs Machine. To me, though, after watching it many times, I understood and respected that the point was the commodification of human connection, and that is a form of nature being resisted, reshaped, and packaged. Maybe that’s over-reading, but that’s the joy of a film that actually sparks conversation.

Also, I had feedback from more than one judge that was essentially ‘because An Evening With is at the top of the list alphabetically, it set the tone for my watching experience, and made everything else following it quite disappointing’ hahahahahaha, isn’t that a fun thing to be responsible for :P

THE BEST THING: A tour de force in every aspect that deserved more love than it got. I’d be shocked if it doesn’t make grand, but who knows, maybe the judges for grand will be even more butthurt over genre subversion.

THE NEXT THING: I think it’s time for a musical! No, seriously, that’s what you need to do!