Waxing and Waning

One eerie evening a barber accepts one more customer right as he’s about to close up shop. But as barbershop gossip soon gets out of control with rumours of werewolf attacks in the neighbourhood, that customer might just be his last.

  • Will Lawler
    Director
  • Will Lawler
    Writer
  • Arron Nguyen
    Producer
  • Ricky Anderson
    Key Cast
    "Peter/ The Barber"
  • Jake Lippiatt
    Key Cast
    "Larry/ The Homeless Man"
  • Greg Bremrose
    Key Cast
    "Drunk Man"
  • Keely Jones
    Director of Photography
  • Jayshraj Paneer Selvam
    Editor
  • Mikaela Zuiderduyn
    Production Designer
  • Tiffany Cartwright
    Sound Recordist
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Horror, Thriller, Folk Horror, Drama, Werewolf
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 34 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 23, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    300 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Curtin University
  • Curtin Drama Narratives Social Screening
    Perth, Western Australia
    Australia
    June 19, 2023
    Australian
    N/A
Director Biography - Will Lawler

William Lawler is a Perth based creative studying Screen Arts and Marketing at Curtin University. He has worked on numerous student film projects inside and outside of university and is pursuing a career in the Australian film industry. William mainly acts within production design, previously creating various props and costuming elements for student film projects, and he also takes upon roles as editor, camera operator and producer on occassion.

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Director Statement

Waxing and Waning is intended to demonstrate the lack of control one endures when battling an addiction through the symbolic parallels with werewolf folklore. As werewolves act in accordance with the cycles of the moon, addiction also follows a cyclical process and effects peoples’ behaviours in similar ways, causing them, to lash out, lose control of themselves and act on primal instincts. In the narrative, the werewolf acts as a red herring, leading viewers to believe that either the homeless man or the barber are the werewolf right up until the homeless man leaves. However, the ending reveals that the barber is not overcome by a supernatural presence, but by an overbearing drug addiction as he caves into his temptations. This metaphor offers up the notion that addiction is as monstrous to one’s psyche as being a werewolf. Furthermore, the subversion of the barber being the addict instead of the homeless man, demonstrates that addiction is not just an issue for unemployed people but is something that can affect anyone.