PORK PIE
New Zealand, 2017, 105 minutes, Colour.
Dean O' Gorman, James Rolleston, Ashleigh Cummings, Antonia Prebble.
Directed by Matt Murphy.
30 years earlier than this film, Dir Geoff Murphy made the film Goodbye, Pork Pie, a comic road film.
In 2017, his son, Matt Murphy, reworks the themes in a 21st-century Road movie.
The focus of the film is on John, who is suffering from writer’s block, has jilted his wife at the altar. He is in her bad books and in the bad books of his friends. He encounters a young Maori speeding in a car and finds himself travelling with him. The young man says the car belonged to his mother – but it emerges that it does not, that is stolen it, that he does not have a drivers license. However, he is continually in exhilarated by his manoeuvres and by speed.
At a driving takeaway, they encounter a young girl who is having difficulties with her boss and with the ideology of burgers and meat. She joins the two in the car but photographs a lot of the action on her phone and post them on the Internet – which leads to the police further investigating as well as their having a lot of fans following their progress. When the to react badly to what she has done, she leaves them in a huff.
The drive starts at the top of the North island, goes south and they take the ferry to the South Island, driving, but also getting a lift from truck and train.
In the meantime, John has phoned his erstwhile fiance but only spoken with her angry mother. When he does get in touch, they agreed to meet at a certain time – but, with difficulties including the young Maori driver getting shot and going to hospital, he eventually gets to talk with his fiancee.
Happy ending, the boy and the girl reunited, another wedding ceremony – with the fiance keeping her intending husband to wait for several hours.
The marry is played by James Rolleston who made such an impact in the film Boy and a number of subsequent films as he grew older. The girl is played by Australian, Ashleigh Cummings (Hounds of Love).
1. The 21st century New Zealand road trip? Memories of the original film? The present director and his father’s work?
2. New Zealand, story, locations, characters? Style?
3. A road trip, from north to south, the car and its speed, training, ferry, trucks? The range of scenery? Songs and musical score?
4. John and his story, the wedding and his backing out, stranding his fiancee? Friends and anger? Advice from his friend, going to the party, word about his fiancee? His writing, the novel, writer’s block, the phone call from his agent? Encountering Luke, his personality, participating in the trip, the excitement, the driving? Keira and the hamburgers? Her joining them, travel down the North island, across to the South Island? The police, the chases? uploading the photos, displayed online, the media? People watching? The South Island, Keira leaving, John and his desperation, the dangers, the phone calls? His fiancee, her response? The time for meeting her, the others with their help and the variety of cars? The chases? The meeting, the car exploding? A serious as well as comic character?
5. Luke, his age, Maori, driving the car, speed, skills, reckless, taking his mother’s car – not? Having his licence – not? The encounter with John, the ride? Being pulled up by the policeman, taking off? The talking with John, about his writing? Bonding? Keira joining them, the travel, the sexual relationship? Uploading the photos? Seen everywhere? The decision to leave? Continuing, Luke becoming a popular hero, the police, trapped, his being shot, the ambulance, recovery?
6. Keira, her age, at work in the burger shop, the notice about the horsemeat? Deciding to travel, talking with Luke, the attraction, sexual relationship, uploading all the information? Her being upset, leaving? Joining Luke at the end?
7. John’s fiance, abandoned, her attitude, her mother and her severity, the phone calls, meeting up?
8. John and his friends, the support, warnings?
9. The police, the pursuits and chases?
10. The happy ending, the wedding, the fiancee keeping John waiting for an hour or two?
11. New Zealand larrikin folk hero story?
