The Six Dollar Fifty Man

I saw 'the Six Dollar Fifty Man' at the NZ International film festival last year and was instantly transported back to my own childhood in the 1970's. The six million dollar man was the hot toy in the seventies that I always wanted (but my brother got it from Santa instead - life ruined!). 8 year old Oscar Vandy-Connor is a revelation as the lead actor, he channels the great method actors in his portrayal of Andy, an 8 year old dreamer dealing with bullies in sleepy 1970's New Zealand. An amazing brooding performance that is a tribute to the talented filmmakers & Oscar! The film has a much deserved Oscar nomination - So Oscar could be getting an Oscar!! - Go see it!

Young boy Andy is a bit of an outsider as he lives in a fictional world of superheroes, specifically that of the Six Million Dollar Man. A friendship with a girl in his class and a confrontation with bullies sees him broken out of this world and into reality.

Filmed in New Zealand this rough and ready little short has a decent plot but not one that fully scanned with me in terms of the motivations of the characters to do what they did. This was the case with the girl and also with the headmaster, although the latter was perhaps more obvious. The acting is what made it stand out for me because the child cast are very strong – specifically Vandy-Connor in the lead role. He is natural, filled with anger and very confident in front of the camera. It must have been hard work to get this from him but the directors did a good job. The film also looks good and has a certain rough honesty to how it feels, but I personally didn't really feel a connection with the narrative, even though I appreciated what the film did well around that.

I saw this film in a festival recently and it is without a doubt one of the best short films I have ever seen. While stories from a child's perspective seem to be quite common in short films worldwide, The Six Dollar Fifty Man goes far beyond the tropes of this genre and delivers a script that is both witty and original and Oscar Vandy Connor as Andy is a revelation, utterly convincing and empathetic, and unlike any other child actor you are likely to see in cinema today. From the opening shot you are absolutely hooked, a tribute to the sublime direction and cinematography. This is as close as you will ever get to seeing a perfect short film. If you have the opportunity to see it, take it. It'll stay with you for a long long time.

What a fantastic film, reminding me of my little brother thinking he himself was Batman as a child. A truly wonderful film set when I myself was a child which made it even more entertaining taking me back to my own childhood. The setting of New Zealand was magnificent .Oscar, who played Andy was so convincing that it brought tears to my eyes. This is an inspirational story to thousands of other children, who, like Andy and his friend are bullied. This was a great story with so much content packed into such a short time you actually felt you had just watched a feature length film. I come from England and didn't know New Zealand had such terrific talent, apart from the Lord of the Rings of course.