Hammond Phillips, Chaase Nigel-Brownlee | 2024 | 5m | Australia | South Australian Student
Fig Wasps
Fig Wasps is a coming-of-age film that follows Lola throughout the year leading up to her 21st birthday. The film encapsulates all the significant moments in her life that come with growing up, segmented by the changing seasons. Lola experiences love, loss, and growth as she learns the complexity of relationships.
Credits
Director
Hammond Phillips
Chaase Nigel-Brownlee
Producer
Harley Wellman
Charlotte Osborne
Hammon Phillips
Writer
Triniti Dominy
Cast
Jasmine Bey
Jack Thiele
Aliyah Goodburn
Hammond Phillips
Interview with producer Harley Wellman
An audio recording will be uploaded shortly
Review
Written by Tom Venus
Flinders University Bachelor of Creative Arts (Screen) Student
Fig Wasps captures the melancholic possibility of the early twenties stage of life. The film is divided by seasons, which adds a sense of scale to the story, and its vivid and breezy visual approach has a naturalism that aligns with this.
I wonder if the film would be able to deliver its statement with more precision if it were more contained and less dreamlike, as we cover an entire year of the main character's life in five minutes and don't see them in one place for very long. Still, the film manages to tell the well-trodden story of early twenties malaise with subtle, technical innovation.