The Paragon

by Rachel Willis

Dutch (Benedict Wall) is pissed off. The victim of a hit and run, he’s had nothing but bad luck since that day. When you feel like your life is falling apart, what’s a person to do?

In writer/director Michael Duignan comic oddity The Paragon, the answer is to learn how to become psychic in pursuit of revenge.

Dutch’s indignation at being hit by a car (a silver Toyota Corolla) and left for dead bleeds into the rest of his life in often hilarious ways. He obsesses over small things—like people who ride unicycles but are not in the circus—ranting to a wife who is tired of listening.

Duignan and Wall do a wonderful job making Dutch an interesting character—fun to watch, even as his bitterness dogs him. When he begins his psychic training with Lyra (Florence Noble), you’re eager to see what happens next. Noble is the perfect foil to Wall’s emotional outbursts. The film’s straight woman, she excels at playing off Wall in ways that help define each character. This is a mismatched duo if there ever was one, and it keeps the humor flowing.

The film has a lot of fun playing with Dutch’s anger and the absurdity of his quest. Throw in the oddball character Haxan (Jonny Brugh), and the movie only gets funnier. Not taking itself too seriously is what allows this weird movie to work so well.

Duignan keeps the film from flying too far off the rails. The Paragon never feels weird for weirdness’s sake. Each element fits nicely into Dutch’s unusual journey.

The part of the film that doesn’t work quite as well is the length of time spent during Dutch’s attempts to harness his psionic power. While it’s a lot of fun, it’s also time that might have been better served deepening Lyra’s character.

But this is a film that enjoys exploring the “what might have beens” of life and keeps you hooked while it does.