Two Cars, One Night (2004)

Sometimes first love is found in the most unlikely of places, like in the carpark outside the Te Kaha pub.

Director:

Taika Waititi

Writer:

Taika Waititi

Stars:

Rangi Ngamoki, Hutini Waikato, Te Ahiwaru Ngamoki-Richards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Rangi Ngamoki	...	Romeo
Hutini Waikato	...	Polly
Te Ahiwaru Ngamoki-Richards	...	Ed
Riwai Waka	...	Koro
Dion Waikato	...	Tangata

Storyline

How do people connect? At night a car is parked by the Te Kaha Hotel and Pub in rural New Zealand. Two brothers, about 10 years of age, sit inside waiting for their parents. Ed is reading a book. Romeo notices a girl about their age sitting in a car not far away, also waiting for her parents. Romeo shouts a few insults at her. She ignores him for awhile then answers back. Later, Romeo sneaks up and tries to scare her. They talk; he brags, she calls him out. She's Polly, maybe 11. He notices a ring she has - studded with diamonds. He yells questions at Ed. He asks if he can see the ring. Should she let him hold it?

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Plot Keywords:

pub | obscene finger gesture | automobile | children | ring | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Short

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dyo aftokinita, ena vrady

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blueskin Films Ltd., Defender Films, New Zealand Film Commission

Technical Specs

Runtime:

12 min

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Romeo: Hey Ugly!

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Connections

Featured in The 77th Annual Academy Awards (2005)

User Reviews

A nice little film that I had great difficulty understanding

This short film features two children as the stars and very few others. Both are stuck waiting in the cars for hours with nothing to do at night. The boy (about 9) at first is a jerk and does some pretty obnoxious things to get the older girl's attention. Later, however, the wall between them falls--both figuratively and literally--as they both get one of the cars together and talk. Nothing earth-shattering, but sweet.

What I focused on, though, was not their interaction but I kept wondering about their parents. After all, these are young kids and why are the parents in a pub while the kids are stuck outside? I guess being a parent and school teacher, I notice these things more than others.

Much of the problem enjoying this film was unique to me. I am losing my hearing and struggled desperately to understand the dialog. It really could have used closed captioning and I hate when films neglect to do this when they are broadcast on TV or placed on DVDs. This problem, though, should still be a problem (though perhaps not as bad) to other Americans watching the film because it was made in New Zealand and had a lot of colloquialisms that any American would struggle with interpreting. This means that TWO CARS, ONE NIGHT would probably play better for audiences at home as opposed to abroad.