Hidden Kiwi Gems: Once Were Warriors.
Suppose I’m still continuing to be watching and reviewing some of the best that Kiwi cinema has to offer. In that case, it’s probably best that I quickly cover what is widely considered to be one of the greatest New Zealand films of all time, that being the critically acclaimed drama “Once Were Warriors”.
The gritty and hard-hitting 1994 drama (based on the book of the same name by Alan Duff) centres around the struggles and hardships of a lower middle-class Maori family in Auckland, where domestic violence is commonplace beneath a mask of happiness.
Beth Heke (played by Rena Owen) lives trapped in the angry and aggressive shadow of her husband Jake (played by Temuera Morrison), who is the primary perpetrator of violence in the family, not shy to deal out his frustrations upon his wife or those who agitate him, whether he’s intoxicated or not. They are the parents of their several children of varying ages, each of the more elder ones having tough and strenuous obstacles of their own.
Hitting several cinemas on release, it quickly became a nationwide success, respected for its intensity and raw exposure to what may sometimes be a reality for some.
To start, let’s all address the elephant in the room, to those who do and don’t know.
This is not an easy watch.
The extraordinary performances delivered by both Owen and Morrison alone are exquisite examples of the kind of acting talent that New Zealand can produce. The more violent and tense scenes between the two and their family and friends are so close to authentic that it leaves any audience uncomfortable and powerless, as if we were there at the party as well with a half drank beer in our hands, unable or unsure on what to do or how to react.
The pacing and structure of the film is delicate as well, with traces or suggestions of a genuinely happy and well-loving family interspersed with that fake bliss being shattered by something setting someone off. It leaves everyone with a bitter taste in their mouth, waiting with bated breath for when the next outburst shall emerge from the woodwork of this unstable household.
The film also has a unique soundtrack that parries the film in a specific way. The usage of occasional tunes and rhythms of traditional Maori music and vocal that feel ancient in nature parallels well with Beth’s gradual reconnection to her ancestral history to when her bloodline (fittingly) were once warriors.
Inner strength, overcoming hardship, reconnecting to one’s roots and the importance of a healthy family or sense of belonging are some of the themes I personally took away from the film.
The dangers and true to life horrors of violence, both domestic and sexual, are also magnified ten fold here. We don’t need such matters to be delivered in such raw and disturbing realism, we know these things are bad by default, but perhaps that is a truth that needs to be knocked over our heads once in a while and not swept under the rug or treated as taboo.
Films like this could serve more as a way to open the conversation more and more to these issues, and for our little country, in some ways, maybe it did.
“Once Were Warriors” stands strong forever as a film that has permeated deep into New Zealand’s culture (for good reasons, hopefully) and serves as the cornerstone of the occasional cinematic brilliance this country can deliver.
Again, this film is not for the faint-hearted and I wouldn’t recommend it to all but the most tolerant and curious. But to those who fully intend to stick out the hour and forty run-time to the end, you’ll be rewarded with all of the reasons why “Once Were Warriors” remains a classic to this day.
Thank you for reading and have a beautiful day!
Daniel
