Blue Moon full and bright

A deserted High St, street lights and shopfronts casting their dull glow over a sleepy little town, and a petrol station like a lone beacon in the wilderness.

The Motueka in Stefen Harris’ slice of film noir, Blue Moon, could be any small town, but Harris has cleverly paid tribute to the town’s icons, leaving locals with the familiar feeling that they know this patch well.

A failing everyman is pulling an all-nighter at a service station, which doubles as a fallout shelter while his life outside is slowly unravelling. A docile and predictable enough routine – until suddenly, it isn’t.

This is inventive DIY filmmaking at its finest.

Harris wrote and directed Blue

Moon himself and ingeniously shot it over the course of just a few days, using little more than an iPhone and the goodwill of a few mates.

Mark Hadlow gives a finely balanced portrayal of buttoneddown businessman Horace Jones, with the creases on his forehead deepening as he slowly sinks further and further out of his depth. He’s the perfect foil for Jed Brophy’s scene-stealing conflicted kingpin, but it’s the cracking chemistry between the two that really ups the voltage.

Props to Doug Brooks, who does a lot with extremely limited dialogue, and to Motueka’s own constabulary, who bring some gritty realism to the proceedings.

Harris deserves enormous credit for this taut and clever little black comedy, a textbook example of what’s possible with a bit of imagination and a lot of tenacity.

Blue Moon is screening again at the Suter at 3.45pm today as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival.