| We Were Dangerous | |
| Director: | Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu[1] |
| Screenplay: | Maddie Dai |
| Music: | Cam Ballantyne |
| Cinematography: | María Inés Manchego |
| Distributor: | Madman Entertainment |
| Runtime: | 82 minutes |
| Language: | English |
We Were Dangerous is a 2024 New Zealand-American drama film, directed by Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu, in her directorial debut, from a screenplay by Maddie Dai. It stars Rima Te Wiata, Erana James, Nathalie Morris and Manaia Hall. Taika Waititi and Carthew Neal serve as an executive producer.[2]
It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on 8 March 2024. The film is expected to be released in New Zealand on 22 August 2024.
In 1954 New Zealand, Nellie and Daisy attempt to escape an institution for delinquent girls; however, not only are they caught, it triggers a relocation to a facility on a remote island. The duo become a trio as well-to-do Lou joins them, and life on the island takes shape under the command of devout Matron. The trio rail against the system, dubious of the benevolence of the bible and taking refuge in their blossoming friendship. It’s hard to reform girls who don’t believe they need reforming. However, a sense of doom settles in when experimental forms of punishment take place in the dead of night. Nellie and Daisy plot rebellion, but unexpectedly find themselves at odds with Lou, who is afraid to break the rules.
We Were Dangerous was executive produced Taika Waititi, directed by Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu, written by Maddie Dai and produced by Morgan Waru[3] and Polly Fryer. The film was the feature debut of both Te Whiu and Dai.
The film's screenplay was written by Maddie Dai, who was recruited for the project by Piki Films. Dai created the three protagonists and drew upon inspiration and ideas from the experiences of her great-great-grandfather who was imprisoned in an island in New Zealand, New Zealand author Maurice Gee's novel Live Bodies, the eugenicist William Chapple's The Fertility of the Unfit book, the Mazengarb Report and the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.[4] Dai also researched New Zealand's eugenics movement and hysteria accusations around young women during the 20th century. During an interview with Variety, Dai described We Were Dangerous as an escape film about teenage girls "that really championed their friendships and had a lot of joy in it, in spite of all this dark historical context."
Dai also collaborated with Stewart-Te Whiu and Waru in developing the screenplay. Stewart-Te Whiu and Waru's involvement with the project was motivated by the themes of female bodily autonomy and freedom from societal restrictions. Dai said that the film also sought to grapple with the themes of British colonialism, institutionalisation and the dichotomy between power and privilege. Stewart-Te Whiu's interest in the project was influenced by the experiences of her father in state care schools, which influenced the film's reform school setting.
Erana James, Nathalie Morris and Manaia Hall were cast as the three teenage protagonists Nellie, Lou and Daisy. Auditioning for the teenage cast members were conducted across New Zealand. To build trust between the three lead cast members, the crew played trust games with James, Morris and Hall during rehearsals. The actors did a lot of improvisation for their scenes during rehearsals and avoided rehearsing scenes in the script to avoid "mechanical or robotic" performances during filming.
Rima Te Wiata was cast as the antagonistic Matron, with Te-Whiu describing her casting as an "obvious choice, really." The supporting female cast members were local teenagers from Christchurch, many of whom had not acted before.
María Inés Manchego served as cinematographer. Filming took place on Ōtamahua / Quail Island near Christchurch.[5]
The film's soundtrack was composed by Cam Ballantyne.
The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on 8 March 2024.[6] It also screened at on 21 March 2024.[7] [8]
Madman Entertainment and Piki Films will distribute the film in New Zealand and Australia.[9] The film is expected to be released in New Zealand on 22 August 2024.
David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave a mixed review, awarding the film a B minus. Ehrlich described the film as "a hopeful — sometimes borderline exuberant — rallying cry for girls to stick together across the various divides that people use to disempower them." He praised the performance of the main cast members Erana James, Nathalie Morris and Manaia Hall as well as the executive producer Taika Waititi and director Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu. Ehrlich was critical of the film's pacing and the lack of in-depth exploration into the story's social fabric.
Cinefied's review praised Maddie Dai's screenplay for weaving a story of teenage girlhood friendship with the themes of indigenous peoples resisting colonisation and Christianisation. The review also praised Stewart-Te Whiu's directorship and the performances of James, Morris and Hall but acknowledged that some story ideas were not developed due to the story's short runtime. The review also praised cinematographer Maria Ines Manchengo for capturing the female-centric theme of the film.[11]
Alex Casey of The Spinoff gave the film a positive review, describing it as "a soaring celebration of misfits and girlhood." She praised Dai and Stewart-Te Whiu for balancing the film's grim reform school setting with a fun, uplifting and joyous "coming of age" caper story. She praised the performances of the lead trio James, Morris and Hall while crediting Rima Te Wiata for bringing "glimmers of humanity and doubt" to the antagonistic Matron. She also praised Stephen Tamarapa's performance as the bumbling caretaker Barry. Casey also praised the quality of the costumes and set designs for creating the film's 1954 setting.