Up against a fascist headmaster, the women in Waddington’s tale prove that solidarity and empathy outweigh antiquated modes of female objectification.
In her ambitious feature debut, director Alice Waddington shrewdly deconstructs seemingly outdated, yet ever-present, societal expectations of young women.
Uma wakes up one morning in Paradise Hills, a high-class treatment facility on an isolated tropical island where well-off families send their daughters to become perfect versions of themselves. Through individually calibrated treatment regimens including etiquette classes, vocal lessons, beauty treatments, gymnastics and restricted diets, all physical and emotional shortcomings are resolved within two months. Transformation is guaranteed. But Uma soon realizes that lurking behind all this beauty is a sinister secret. It’s a race against the clock as Uma and her friends try to escape Paradise Hills before it consumes them all.
