STACK #122 Dec 2015

DVD&BD

FEATURE

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but ultimately he realises that it’s never too late to find redemption, even in the face of the apocalypse.” Seeking “someone with a bit

of grunt who can handle himself in a tight spot, but who also has the right amount of vulnerability to allow the audience in”, Hilditch found his everyman in Wolf Creek star Nathan Phillips. “Nathan transcended what was there on the page and really injected so much of himself into the character of James, it was amazing to watch,” he says. “I simply couldn’t imagine anyone but Nathan portraying him.” Equally crucial was the casting of Rose – the ‘ying’ to James’s ‘yang’. Hilditch chose Angourie Rice, who had appeared in his 2012 short film Transmission and whom he describes as “an extraordinary young actress who is mature beyond her years”. “I knew she would be a formidable Rose,” he adds. “She complements Nathan’s performance so well… Rose is constantly challenging James’s morality until he ultimately takes responsibility for

How would you spend the end of the world? That’s the question posed by writer-director Zak Hilditch in his sweltering apocalypse drama THESE FINAL HOURS .

Liz Kearney (Producer), Nathan Phillips (James)

and Zak Hilditch (Writer/Director)

W estern Australian writer-director Zak Indeed, the nature of the world-ending cataclysm that’s creeping towards Perth in 12 hours time is kept deliberately vague and serves more as a device to explore how the characters will spend the remaining time left to them, as opposed to focusing on the spectacle of the calamity, like so many films in this sub-genre. “Sci-fi films that focus Hilditch’s debut feature is an apocalypse film that doesn’t feature any zombies.

Creating a compelling sense of the impending apocalypse on a low budget was always going to be a giant challenge

predominantly on the human element in this scenario are the ones that have stuck with me, less so the ones that get overshadowed by the cataclysm itself,” Hilditch explains. “Writing These Final Hours was, in a way, an attempt to tell my own version of a ‘people

her and becomes the man and father figure he was reluctant to be.” Crafting a small, intimate apocalypse came with its own set of challenges for the writer-director. “Creating a compelling sense of the impending apocalypse on a low budget was always

reacting to a sudden and dramatically changed world’ story that could satisfy all the things I love about the sci-fi genre.” The film’s central character, James, is an irresponsible party boy who intends to spend his final hours at the ultimate end of the world bash, but instead finds himself travelling the road to redemption when he chooses to reunite a little-girl-lost named Rose with her father.

going to be a giant challenge,” Hilditch admits. “Authentic, truthful performances from the cast that capture humanity at its most extreme light was integral to me selling a believable world on the brink of destruction.” Moreover, complementing the performances and impending sense of doom with arresting, gritty visuals and a dynamic soundscape allowed Hilditch to effectively transport the audience into James’s shoes. “ These Final Hours is an incredibly immersive

“I wanted to explore the last day on Earth through the eyes of an everyman like James,” says Hilditch. “He’s a guy unable to face the end head on, who just wants to go to the party to end all parties and numb the pain,

cinema experience that leaves the audience not only gasping but also hopefully reflecting on their own relationships, considering who they would want to be with if they knew the end was nigh.”

• These Final Hours is out on Dec 10

DECEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.com.au

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