Taking the Waewae Express

Aroview: Grief and resentment affect a Maori family and their friends after a tragic car accident in this honest and open-hearted drama set in Wellington's Island Bay.

Initially developed as an "exercise", this entirely self-funded feature was made with palpable TLC and is uniformly well acted by the ensemble cast of non-professionals, who also contributed to the narrative and dialogue. The drama achieves modest success in emotionally engaging the viewer, though its power is muted by perhaps being too protective of its redemptive characters. Still, it makes a welcome serious change from the usual genre fodder made by digital film-makers, while the music by 'Plan 9' is nicely underscored.