Two Cars, One Night

External videos
External videos
	Two Cars, One Night, full film, YouTube video, on the official Searchlight Pictures channel.

Two Cars, One Night
Two Cars, One Night
	Poster
Directed by	Taika Waititi
Written by	Taika Waititi
Produced by	Vanessa Alexander; Catherine Fitzgerald; Ainsley Gardiner
Starring	Rangi Ngamoki; Hutini Waikato
Cinematography	Adam Clark
Edited by	Owen Ferrier-Kerr
Music by	Craig Sengelow
Production; companies	Blueskin Films Ltd.; Defender Films; New Zealand Film Commission
Release dates	July 2003 (New Zealand International Film Festival); January 2004 (Sundance);
Running time	11 minutes
Country	New Zealand
Languages	English; Māori

Two Cars, One Night is a 2003 New Zealand short film written and directed by Taika Waititi.^[3]

The film is about two young boys and a girl meeting in the carpark of a rural pub in Te Kaha, New Zealand. What at first seems to be a relationship based on rivalry soon develops into a potential friendship.

Plot

One night, the Te Kaha hotel pub carpark is parked by a sedan with nine-year-old boys Ed and Romeo in it.

As time passes, another sedan neighbours them, with the two adults, Koro and Tangata, exiting, leaving the child, 12-year-old Polly, alone. Romeo teases her, then vice versa. More time passes, and Romeo decides to know her more. In her car, Romeo finds out Polly has a plastic ring. As the parents exit the pub, Romeo and Polly express farewell. Polly gives the ring to Romeo, so that he will remember her, confiding that he will keep his promise to keep the ring. Romeo smiles and stands still looking at the car as it drives off.

Reception

In 2017, Jacob Oller of Film School Rejects praised the film's humour, writing that the film "allowed Waititi the perfect (ahem) vehicles for his brand of undercutting comedy, a couple of brash kids, in a quiet, poignant setting."^[4]

Awards

2004 Short Award at the AFI Film Festival
2004 Panorama Short Film Award, Berlin International Film Festival^[5]
2004 Hamburg Short Film Award, Hamburg International Short Film Festival
2004 Award of the Theatre Owners, Oberhausen International Short Film Festival
2004 Short Film Competition Award, Seattle International Film Festival
2004 Best Short Film Performance, NZ Film and TV Awards
2004 Best Short Film Screenplay, NZ Film and TV Awards
2004 Best Technical Contribution to Short Film, NZ Film and TV Awards
2004 Jury Award, Best Drama, Aspen Shortsfest

Nomination

2005 Nominated for Best Live Action Short Film, Academy Awards

In 2019, after receiving an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay with Jojo Rabbit, Waititi said jokingly "Losing to Andrea Arnold [at the Oscars], it took me probably 13 years just to get over that. Because what she did to me back then, it was disrespectful. Although Wasp was an incredible short film, she didn’t need to do that. And look at me now, Andrea", the director deadpanned. "I played the long game, man. I played the long game".^[6]

References

^ Ebert 2006, p. 524.
^ Ham, Julie (19 August 2020). "Flying Start Film Studies" (PDF). Bilborough College. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
^ "Two Cars, One Night (2004)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2016. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
^ Oller, Jacob (1 December 2017). "Taika Waititi's Oscar-Nominated 'Two Cars, One Night' Showcases Quiet Sweetness". Film School Rejects. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
^ OnFilm Magazine, March 2004
^ Grobar, Matt (13 January 2020). "Taika Waititi Discusses 'Jojo Rabbit' Oscar Noms & Discovering Michael Fassbender's Comedic Chops On 'Next Goal Wins'". Deadline. Retrieved 22 January 2020.

External links

Video on YouTube, posted by Searchlight Pictures
Two Cars, One Night at AllMovie
Two Cars, One Night at IMDb
Two Cars, One Night at NZ On Screen
Two Cars, One Night at Rotten Tomatoes
Two Cars, One Night at Searchlight Pictures

[FOOTNOTEEbert2006524-1] Ebert 2006, p. 524.

[2] Ham, Julie (19 August 2020). "Flying Start Film Studies" (PDF). Bilborough College. Retrieved 23 February 2021.

[3] "Two Cars, One Night (2004)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2016. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2019.

[4] Oller, Jacob (1 December 2017). "Taika Waititi's Oscar-Nominated 'Two Cars, One Night' Showcases Quiet Sweetness". Film School Rejects. Retrieved 3 October 2019.

[5] OnFilm Magazine, March 2004

[6] Grobar, Matt (13 January 2020). "Taika Waititi Discusses 'Jojo Rabbit' Oscar Noms & Discovering Michael Fassbender's Comedic Chops On 'Next Goal Wins'". Deadline. Retrieved 22 January 2020.

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