Starring: Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, Anita Kerr-Bell
Rating: ****
EVERY SO often a film comes along that is truly compelling, the type of film that is hard to watch at times but is impossible to forget. Once Were Warriors is exactly that sort of film, providing insight into a troubled strata of New Zealand culture many would prefer to keep hidden: the underclass Maoris.
Though Warriors revolves around the struggle by one woman to keep her family together amid a veritable deluge of troubles, the film addresses the many factors that contribute to the eroding hope of modern Maori culture. Poverty, ill-conceived social support, unemployment and prejudice are all a part of the mix. But above and beyond these elements, Warriors strikes out at the ignorance of the individual within the social structure, pointing the finger at those who choose to live reactive lives rather than taking responsibility for their actions, thereby worsening the circumstances around them.
Beth and her husband Jake (Rena Owen and Temuera Morrison) head up the household, alternately loving one another passionately and battling it out over 10 too many beers. Jake's fatal flaw is his temper and his love of the pub culture; both serve to tear the family apart at the seams when the pressure is on. Jake simply cannot see the consequences of his brutality, and for all his generosity and passion, he is a walking time bomb.
Despite Beth's scramblings to save her family from disintegrating in the face of Jake's instability, the world they have created inevitably turns on her, and the children begin to drift away, indulging in self-destructive behaviour and losing respect for both parents as things go from bad to worse. Even the gentle and talented daughter Grace is not safe from the influences her father brings into the house, pushing the bleak circumstances into tragedy within a few heart-breaking scenes.
In spite of the many grim elements of Once were Warriors, the film manages to rise above mere social commentary. The writing and acting is superb, allowing the complexities of the culture to ride along on an oddly optimistic wave that holds up even in the film's bleakest moments. Beth's commitment to her heritage, her children, and her own sense of what is right gives the film a backbone of hope. Once Were Warriors shines from start to finish, and ought to be on everyone's "must see" list.