Eagle vs Shark (2007)

Before Taika Waititi became the maestro of cosmic absurdity in Thor: Ragnarok or crafted the poignant satire of Jojo Rabbit, he gave us this modest, peculiar gem; a story about two magnificently awkward people fumbling toward something resembling connection. Eagle vs Shark is his feature debut, and while it lacks the refinement and assurance of his later work, it already contains his essential DNA: that off-kilter humor, that bone-dry sarcasm, that willingness to find both comedy and compassion in human ridiculousness. Every character here is nerdy, needy, warped, broken in some fundamental…