Florian Habitcht/NZ/2004; R0
Magna Pacific, NZ$29.95 | Reviewed by John Spry

WHAT A HAPPY accident it appears Florian Habitcht’s documentary Kaikohe Demolition was – both for Kaikohe and the country at large. Originally slated as a tourism film intended for sale, as well as brokering some interest in a burgeoning career, Florian started and seemingly finished after filming the demolition derby in Kaikohe, Northland. He saw the potential, and with his own brand of narrative and thematic charm broadened the film into a mini-feature celebrated in theatres and on television.

If you’ve seen Florian’s previous film, (and if you haven’t, check it out) the artful and fairytale-like Woodenhead (2003), much of the misc-en-scene will be familiar: the rural landscape; the state homes; the barbed wire fences; the backyard garage; the unique people that inhabit our country. This last point, of course, is more prevalent as the camera absorbs lives lived in relative obscurity – except for the town in which they congregate, directly affecting the people they know and the way in which ancestors – known and unknown – are treated in a collective memory.

This film focuses on the drivers and participants in a local demolition derby, as well as their unique stories and memories of the events leading up to and during the main event – and centrepiece – of the film.

With New Zealand becoming more urbanized, rural life becoming less a way of life, and technology becoming increasingly relied upon – itself a trend that seems to be driving the young from their backyards to their front living rooms by way of Playstations and DVDs – it is a welcome reminder that not only do we need the rural areas, but there is an emotional cornerstone and an embrace to the ‘outsider’ that has been lost in larger urban areas (hello Auckland).

Throughout, there are a variety of excellent scenes that via narrative, illustrate what kind of documentary we are watching and its unstated perceived aim. Unlike many recently produced high-profile documentaries, this does not center itself around the meanderings and multiple points of view of its author – examples of which are anything by Michael Moore and Nick Broomfield. There is an absence of shock or exploitation of the subjects under scrutiny, and there is no need to strive to make a revelation that may rock the audience into some kind of action or particular way of thinking. There is little pretence within the text, and this explains why the interviewees would open up to the camera so honestly, especially in this age of pop culture “reality” television that we are subjected to every night. There is no celebrity and no grand standing; rather, witness the film’s best scenes that take place in hot pools, a kind of confessional to no one in particular. We as the viewers are invited into homes, cars and of course hot pools of everyday lives that reflect where we have come from in some way. An innocence exists within the form that once lost can never be truly fully regained or relived.

The sounds that are contained within the structure of the film are as vital as the visual elements; they are so much part of the New Zealand consciousness, and in fact exist as a background static, revealed in certain scenes that touch on a naturalness as well as an artificial state created over the past hundred or so years. In one scene in particular towards the end of the film – a static camera focused on a backyard – we’re presented with a typical New Zealand homemade clothes line, long grass (in need of a cut), and two wreck-like cars. We hear the barking of a dog, the music of insects in the heat and the unmistakable sound of a mower chewing through the dry underbrush.

Overall the film operates well as a documentary on small town life with a concentrated focus on a defining event – one that for many of the well known faces in the Kaikohe community serves to give them meaning and identification in the eyes of others and themselves. It also serves as a reminder to all about what has traditionally been (whether real or imagined) one of the origin points, or even the ‘home’, of working class New Zealand. The great people of New Zealand came from small towns: great All Blacks, explorers, writers and intellectuals. Or at least that is what we are led to believe. With this film, I almost believe that all good in New Zealand comes from the rural outpost; a romantic ideal that is slowly disappearing from the landscape. Of course, this is not true, and the location of Kaikohe to such a social and political hotbed as Waitangi does give a glimpse into a revolution that is cyclical in nature but exists in an artificial reality. Florian has touched upon these ‘truths’, especially in scenes involving the local hot pools and the interviews with the main characters conducted while bathing. There is more involvement and identification for us with the real lives in play. We see a man whose main employment is a doorman (not bouncer) but also helps men with anger management problems; another who sees himself as an elder (of sorts) that needs to be with his family instead of out on the town.


THE DVD looks great and having been filmed on a digital camera, does justice to its subject, with lighting always a great asset to a digital feature. The sound is clear and crisp, with incidental music suiting the action that is taking place on screen. The special features are varied and interesting with a commentary by the main actors that is a great listen. There is also edited footage with a making of/interview with the director of the film. An inspiring and emotional featurette on the ‘world premiere’ offers some insights into the local talent that were on show in the documentary. The special features have been well thought out and together with Woodenhead, show the caring that has gone into both DVDs and their intended audience.

With Christmas fast approaching, I cannot think of a better way to fill a stocking than this highly entertaining and imaginative documentary from an original New Zealander and a rising talent. I cannot wait to see what Florian has in store for his next project, and to see what he does with the increased funding that must come from having two highly successful features under his belt.