Taking the Waewae Express (2008) Reviews

• Poignant, Uplifting film

  tiro-62010-01-22

  The film takes its title from an expression meaning 'to walk' and the events of the movie stem from the older brother of a family getting stopped by the police, his car taken off the road and having to walk home. The following night when the younger brother goes out he has to get a car ride from his mates - with consequences that bring out all the unspoken tensions in the family and with their friends. I only caught the movie on TV on a minority TV station and just had it on as background, but I was drawn into the movie as the characters were developed and how their very human reactions were revealed by the pivotal event of the movie. Early on in the film I could not make up my mind whether the acting was poor and stilted or very stark, accurately reflecting the characters' states of numbed shock. Either way, the portrayals came across as real, unaffected and totally engrossing, with an interesting sub-plot exploring Maori culture in modern New Zealand. The film was shot in Wellington, New Zealand and although the sudden involvement of a couple of the characters (the taxi driver, the Swedish tourist) in the unfolding of the film seemed a bit contrived, random hook-ups are not unknown in this country. I've now seen the movie twice and both times found it a very moving, poignant film which deserves more publicity and needs showing at film festivals around the world.