An analysis of 'Two Cars One Night', a short film.

2. The short film tells the story of three children who are left in the car,
outside of a pub, whilst their parents are inside having a few drinks. In
one car are two boys, aged around 9 are trying to amuse themselves by
pretending to drive, mocking each other and eventually the eldest tries to
interest the girl nearby in the adjacent car. This girl is 12 and she seems to
have a much more mature disposition than the boy.

3. Taika Waititi developed the idea for the film from his own personal
experiences: snapshots in childhood.
"There are a few moments in childhood that have a lasting impact. Not
because they change the course of your life, or because they arrive with
any great fanfare, in fact quite the opposite. Those are moments where an
unexpected joy is found in the everyday, a moment of beauty in the
ordinary. TWO CARS, ONE NIGHT captures one of those brief
moments.“

4. Short films usually take one particular theme or concept to explore. This
short film deals with themes of
- Love
- Romance
- Conflict
- Childhood
In addition, however, we understand that Taika Waititi aimed to discuss
further concepts regarding the issues of emotions, connectivity, verbal abuse
and child neglect as these undertones are present throughout the narrative.
Taking such simple concepts is effective in short film production because
you are only given a short amount of time to bring your point across. My
making the films simple, short and sweet, you are able to fully engage the
audience without convoluting the story, causing people to lose interest.

5. Waititi explores the idea of polysemic signs within the short film; this
expands the basic narrative, adding depth and meaning. For example, the
proxemics of the two cars parked parallel to each other, with a clean white
line dividing the two, connotes the idea that these two children lead very
similar lives despite the clear difference in wealth. This, as well as the
character’s name, Romeo, draws parallels with the story of Romeo and
Juliet. This is a great example of how a classic storyline can be stripped
back and adapted into a basic but effective narrative.
Moreover, the infrequent pacing of the dialogue between the characters
builds up a tension to the film. The audience are left handing on the
words said by the children, allowing them to read into the meanings
which Waititi aims to convey.