Kaikohe Demolition (2004, New Zealand, classified PG (New Zealand))
Run time 53 minutes 47 seconds, directed by Florian Habicht
Overall rating: 21/25 (★★★★ ⅕)
Sweet as or not? – Definitely sweet as.
Verdict: Florian Habicht gives a candid, true-to-life glimpse into Far North demolition derby culture, with splices of family life and struggles thrown into the mix.
Watch or Skip? – Watch it now, or when you get the chance to.
Review by J.M. Broad • July 22nd, 2020 (July 23rd, 2020 NZT)
Kia ora folks, and welcome to another film review here at Sweet As?, this time looking at a New Zealand flick with New Zealand panache from a uniquely NZ perspective, so you don’t have to. In this review, we shall be reviewing the documentary Kaikohe Demolition, following a group of Northland locals with the desire to jump into an automobile for the local demolition derby being the main thing in common between them.
Anyway, it is now time for the obligatory disclaimer. If you are not interested in this type of fare, or if you do not want to watch approximately fifty-four minutes worth of Northland locals crashing cars into each other, please click away from this review and go onto another corner of this website or the Internet, i.e. leave this site altogether.
If you are interested in reading this review, however, please feel free to continue from this point on.
Kaikohe Demolition starts with the expected opening credits and logo of the New Zealand Film Commission before seguing to pitch black, accompanied only by a traditional Māori karanga, which I feel is somewhat underwhelming, until the sounds of nature await, set to guitar strums and a single file line walking military-style into hot springs, which I was surprised were a Northland pastime due to the fact that they are mostly prevalent in the Bay of Plenty, to say the least, although the film immediately gets into the action from this point on, by which I mean the locals talk about crashing cars in Kaikohe, hence the title Kaikohe Demolition.
Of course, the proper action does not start until the four and a quarter minute mark, where we are introduced to the sport of demolition derby and an age gap of thirty-two years, courtesy of ‘Uncle’ Bimm, the self-proclaimed group’s oldest. Petrolheads among us and those unfamiliar with the sport are immediately contented with introductions of vehicles and the rules of the game before we jump into another underwhelming action sequence with bits of family fun thrown in for good measure set to a jazz-inspired musical number in the Māori language.
Unfortunately, it’s only the sight of crashing cars at this point – no sound as the musical number aforementioned dominates the soundtrack before we segue into a glimpse of family life accompanied by a uniquely New Zealand pastime: the BBQ, as well as the odd interview or two, since this is a documentary after all.
Moving onto the plot, there isn’t really any plot as this is a documentary following the sport of demolition derby in the titular Far North town of Kaikohe, although it does give an insight into the camaraderie offered by the sport and allows the usage of car-related jokes to reinforce its status as an automobile movie, one in particular involving a legacy and the Subaru model of the same name.
Without further ado, we now go onto the acting and visual effects, of which there are none as this film, as with all documentaries that are not fictional accounts, follow real people and as a result, the visual effects are raw, which offers an intimate insight into what really happens. Kudos to the director for giving us such an intimate, detailed insight into Far North demolition derby culture.
We now go onto the directing, which, throughout the approximately fifty-four minute foray that is Kaikohe Demolition, gives a raw and true to life insight into the demolition derby culture of the Far North, as well as family life which is spliced into the footage and the struggles of those living in poverty in New Zealand during the latter part of the film. I believe that the directing gives a true to life glimpse into the subject matter aforementioned, which I feel is a fundamental part of any good documentary film out there, so even more kudos are in line for director Florian Habicht.
Finally, we move onto the soundtrack, which is centralised around a jazz-inspired Māori language musical number and comprises a number of genres, including rock music, played during the final action sequences portraying the derby in the silly season, a rendition of Jingle Bells being busked for a koha, a brass marching piece and quintessentially Kiwi ditty Haere Mai during the end credits, although I do feel that the music is somewhat dreary and sombre at times or even overly simplistic, the latter applying especially to a piece of music consisting of merely guitar strums, so this might be a let-down to an otherwise magnificent film.
Last Word
Overall, I feel that Kaikohe Demolition gives a true-to-life glimpse into Far North demolition derby culture over the course of three derbies, namely the Easter, Mothers’ Day and Christmas events, and Florian Habicht portrays this festival of scrap metal and/or company team-building affair, as seen throughout this flick in as candid a manner as possible, which made the New Zealand Screen Awards accolade it would eventually go on and win well-deserved, however the music was at times dreary or overly simplistic so could be a let-down for some, and the plot is as simple as it gets: an insight into Far North demolition derby culture which seems a bit underwhelming for my liking.
The Addendum
Ratings – Acting: 5/5, Soundtrack: 3/5, Visual Effects: 5/5, Plot: 3/5, Directing: 5/5
Overall rating: 21/25 (equates to 4.2 stars overall using Sweet As? star rating calculations criteria)
Sweet as or not? – This film is definitely sweet as due to the fact that it gives a candid, true-to-life glimpse of Far North demolition derby culture and director Florian Habicht adds in family life and struggles to the mix, which adds to the realism.
Watch or skip? – Watch it now, or when you get the chance to. This is a hidden gem and a documentary which you should not miss out on watching.
How can I watch this film?
Kaikohe Demolition is available on the NZ On Screen website (nzonscreen.com (external link opens in new window)), along with other commercials and audiovisual content.
It is also available to purchase and rent on NZ Film on Demand (ondemand.nzfilm.co.nz (external link opens in new window)), along with other films, although this service does employ the usage of geographical restrictions so this option is only available in Aotearoa New Zealand, and possibly Aussie.
This film, along with the director’s other works, is also available on Florian Habicht’s official website (florianhabicht.com (external link opens in new window)).
Alternatively, it is available on various optical disc formats.
Want More?
A special edition of Sweet As? – Pint Sized will follow this review, where we are going to be reviewing the trailer for Kaikohe Demolition. This will be one-off and will not replace the current series, Reviewing Classic NZ Commercials.
Sweet As? 