Taking the Waewae Express

I've driven drunk before, stoned, too fast. Spun out heaps, eh.

– Wiremu (Matariki Whatarau) reflects on his luck with mate Phil (Issac Heron)

When I was a kid there was only two games, rugby and...rugby.

– Dad (Rangimoana Taylor) recalls his childhood

Not my youngest...

– Dad (Rangimoana Taylor) breaks down when he hears about his son's death

Waewae is a Māori term for walking and a colloquial translation of the film's title is 'Taking Shank's Pony'...

– Excerpt from an NZ Herald article on the film, 21 June 2008

a beautifully understated but emotionally strong look at the effect of death on a group of young friends ... sparkles with a big emotional impact ... [and] does it with restraint and truth as well as a disarming sweetness.

– Listener reviewer Helene Wong, 2008

...a happily flawed and ultimately admirable wee movie ... brave, funny, terrifically honest and unaffected, big hearted and smart enough to transcend its non-existent budget. Go see it.

– Film critic Graeme Tuckett on Taking the Waewae Express, The Dominion Post, 31 January 2009

I just want to go where no one knows me.

– Hayden (Evan Hussey) struggles to come to terms with his guilt in the death of his friend

Many said it was the best film they had seen for ages, that it had such a strong message but had not preached to them.

– Cinematographer Deane Cronin on audience reaction at the film's premiere in Wellington, The NZ Herald, 21 June 2008

Torchlight's films are developed using British director Mike Leigh's approach to scriptwriting, where the script emerges from a basic premise and is developed through improvisation by the actors. "It's a process with really surprising outcomes — you never know what the characters might say or where they might lead the story" says co-director Andrea Bosshard.

– Press release on Torchlight Films' second feature, Hook, Line and Sinker, Voxy website, 2 November 2009