Show of Hands

"The question on my mind before seeing this film was not whether or not its characters could withstand an endurance competition to win a car, but whether a feature-length film about such a topic could sustain my interest. Ninety minutes later, the answer is yes, but only just."

"Melanie Lynskey, probably our best actress and certainly one of the most appealing, plays Jess, a really, really nice and decent New Plymouth single mother and parking warden with the cutest freckles."

"McCarten's smart plotting maintains the tension well (there is a clever twist at the climax) and the performances - in particular Lovatt's as the sleazy car dealer whose idea the whole thing is - are good. It's a matter of debate, though, whether the characters are interesting enough for the length of a feature."

"There is plenty to like about this film, and while it does tend towards talking itself a little too seriously at the end, the story is an engaging one."

"But the real genius behind this film is ... well maybe it's us and whatever our national character might be. Because whatever it is, films such as Show of Hands are beginning to distil it and get it up on the screen. This is a cracker little film. Do go."