Overnight success is rarely overnight. While the dominant narrative is that director Zak Hilditch has burst onto the scene with the upcoming apocalyptic thriller, These Final Hours, the real story is that he’s been honing his skills in the Perth film scene for years. Those with long memories and a taste for arthouse efforts might remember his microbudget 2005 offering, The Actress.
While the budget on These Final Hours isn’t astronomical, the ideas on display are big and meaty. Set on the very eve of the world’s end, the film sees a young man (Nathan Phillips) blow off a nihilistic end of the world party to escort a young girl (Angourie Rice) through the ravaged streets of Perth in order to reunite her with her father before we all go boom.
The trailer is smart, tough and engrossing. If the film is half as a good, we’re in for a treat when it hits cinemas some time in 2014.
