Paradise Hills
PARADISE HILLS - © 2018 Nostromo Pictures SL/Colina Paraiso AIE / Nublar Productions LLC
Alice Waddington's directorial debut and feministic science-fiction mystery, Paradise Hills, is one covered in societal and gender politics wrapped around a plot that is something in the middle of Lost meets The Stepford Wives.
Emma Roberts leads the line here as Uma, who wakes up on an isolated island with no memory in how she arrived and told she is participating in a corrective program on the advice of her family and future husband. The depth and weight of feministic ideals and gender politics are here thick and fast. It is wrapped in a subtextual plot of science fiction lore in a dystopian world that does not feel so far removed of something out of Black Mirror.
It is not as clever or restraint as Charlie Brooker's seminal TV show but does inject a distinctive aesthetic that undoubtedly makes it stand out from the crowd. The mysticism and feminism are hidden behind the genre, which is not overpowering, but throughout the film, it feels somewhat empty and flat with how its resolved. Its integration is organic and it hits astonishingly well when afforded the films full attention.
That being said, there is a multitude of subtextual avenues that this film generates, with only a few given a full trajectory to flourish. Namely, the characters of Danielle Macdonald's Chloe and Eiza González's Amarna, two characters who have a heap of depth and weight connected to them that the film ultimately wastes in underwhelming arcs. Milla Jovich as The Duchess puts forward an incredibly distant performance with zero character moments or depth for the film to feel her antagonist wrath and ultimately, viewers are unable to have an emotional connection to the unfolding plot. Without such, the film’s final act goes awry and distinctively flat of all conviction. Awkwafina as Yu is a performance that does little to inspire any interest or intrigue. In a year containing the astonishing The Farewell and the conventional but harmless Jumanji: The Next Level, the breakout actress is definitely in the latter mode here. If anything, confirming and cementing Awkwafina's talents lie more in the dramatic realm rather than the comedic features viewers have been accustomed.
Paradise Hills is a mixed bag of strong identity in its feministic plot but falls foul to a narrative that does not quite come full circle. Leaning far too deep in the science fiction genre both undercuts the message wanted to convey as well as drowns character arcs to a more fulfilling and elevated degree.
Paradise Halls is released October 25th 2019
