In a perfect world, everyone involved in the production design, costuming, and makeup for Paradise Hills would have all the awards thrown at them for all the work they did here, especially considering the fact that they likely were not working with the biggest budget. Sadly, a film this small, and without much push for awards consideration, will likely make it fall to the wayside. It’s unfortunate because director, Alice Waddington, who makes her directorial debut here, takes some wild and bold creative swings, the likes of which is often not seen in many smaller, independent productions, and it makes one hell of a first impression.
The film itself doesn’t impress quite as much, but it’s still fairly solid. It takes place in a dystopian world, and we follow Uma (Emma Roberts), a young woman set to marry a wealthy man that she has no interest in. Due to this, she is sent to a sort of boarding school/rehabilitation center on an island, the kind of place where unruly girls are sent to learn how to be proper, how to be obedient, how to be the ideal versions of themselves, or at least, the ideal version that the world would want them to be. The facility is led by the gentle, yet commanding Duchess (Milla Jovovich).
The film brings to mind sci-fi films of the early to mid 70s, stuff like Logan’s Run, THX 1138, The Stepford Wives, science fiction that were structured almost like fables and parables. It wouldn’t surprise me if Waddington and writers, Nacho Vigalondo and Brian DeLeeuw, drew upon these kinds of films as inspirations. There’s a tangibility and practicality to the way they build the world, and although we only see a few elements of it, the details are strong enough to paint a pretty thorough picture of a patriarchal society where the worlds of the rich and poor can be so vastly different, but have the one common element in how women are still repressed.
Much of the film is spent with Uma, along with her new friends, Chloe (Danielle Macdonald), Yu (Awkwafina), and Amarna (Eiza González) trying to find out what is really going on in this facility, and what the Duchess is hiding from them. Despite this setup, the story lacks some much needed urgency. It’s very moody and leisurely paced, making its 95 minute runtime feel closer to something like two hours, which certainly makes it feel more authentic to many of those 70s sci-fi movies. Sometimes, the pacing is welcomes because its digressions are thematically relevant, but other times, it feels like stretching sequences farther than it needs to.
I ultimately didn’t mind too much because the eye candy is strong with this one. I cannot praise the sets, costumes, hair, and makeup work enough. There is always something compelling to look at with nearly every frame, and it also helps that the film is full of actors who are very good at what they do, and can easily carry the whole thing, even on their own shoulders, not just as an ensemble. Roberts is a endearing lead, Awkwafina and Macdonald bring some light moments in their supporting roles, González gets quite a bit to do as much of the film builds around her relationship with Uma. Plus, it’s just great seeing Jovovich in something like this. It’s the kind of role she could easily play in her sleep, but she owns every second she’s on screen.
I feel like Paradise Hills was perhaps a couple drafts away from being something genuinely great, but as is, it’ll just have to settle with being pretty damn good. Much of this is due to the look and aesthetic of the film, which makes it worth the price of admission alone if this is playing in a theater near you. Despite my minor gripes with the storytelling, I was very quickly swept up in the world, it’s general vibes, and it kept me engaged through to the very end. It may be flawed, but I will happily take a flawed film that’s distinctly weird, visually adventurous, and full of rich, ambitious, and compelling ideas over any run-of-the-mill indie darling any day of the week. I honestly can’t wait to see what Alice Waddington does next.