Once Were Warriors (1995)

Unforgettable and powerful drama

This movie, impressively, describes the daily reality of a Maori family in New Zealand and puts a stop straight away with any romantic myths one might harbor considering the Maori people. This is perfectly illustrated with the opening shot in which we look at a beautiful landscape with a sun soaked lake, marvelous trees and hills. The camera however moves back somewhat and reality sets in: we were looking ad a bill board and as a matter of fact we find ourselves near a highway winding itself through the slums of Auckland, New Zealand.

Its director, Lee Tamahori weaves, in a truly unforgettable way, the torturous existence of the Heke family, a tapestry of which the strains have been dyed in blood, sweat and tears, even though in some spots specks of sunlight can be noticed, but the chain of dramatic events that lead to a tragic unraveling, prove unstoppable.

Tamahori is far from gentle with the audience and the impact of the at times extremely violent scenes at times hit with the force of a sledge hammer. These images show a family trapped in social-economic hopelessness, to which the only escape seems to be through alcohol and/or sexual abuse and fortunately, every once in a while, a beautiful song. As head of the family, Jake, magnificently portrayed by Temuera Morrison, in this sense also takes the lead through physical violence in what he considers maintaining his pride in a world that will not allow him any otherwise. As these attempts fail on a regular basis, he takes out his frustration and subsequent rage on his family, especially his wife, an equally impressive portrayal by Rena Owen, who seems to be the victim but in the end is the only one maintaining her dignity and pride.

When we first meet this family, it's clear it has been suffering under these circumstances for years, causing family ties to be strenuous to say the least, if they haven't already been irreparably damaged as they are between Jake and both his sons Nig, Sonny (who we only meet in the sequel to this movie "What becomes of the broken hearted") and young Mark.
Their mother already has a hard time making ends meet, so the children are mostly left to their own devices.

Dramatic events follow, mostly ensuing from Jake's violent nature and selfishness, until a climactic event becomes the turning point in the movie and the lives of all involved will change definitively and will also be engraved in the viewer's soul.
September 16, 2008

highly recommended

Looking for a good foreign film? Try this one. This gives us a view into the world of Maori culture, the indigenous people of New Zealand. It's a very disturbing story with a lot of violence toward women.

The story focuses on a woman who's in a marriage to an abusive alcoholic man. Her son is troubled and constantly getting in trouble with the law. Her oldest daughter tries her best to make something of herself but given the environment, there's only but so much she can do. Unfortuanately, this kind of story is being played out every day all around the world.

We may see the woman in this story as strong and somewhat of a hero, but the harsh reality is that by the time she tries to make a change for the better, the damage had already been done. August 28, 2008

If the man wants some eggs, you cook him some F*****G EGGS!

"Once Were Warriors" is a powerful tale of what it is like, to be treated as a stranger on your own land. It gives an intimate look of a people who have not quite shaken off their warrior roots, living in a society that rewards civility.

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Temuera Morrison and Rena Owen play Jake and Beth Heke, Parents of five, trying to make a go, if Jake were a little more responsible toward his familial duties. He also has a "hair-trigger" temper, along with a sizable alcohol problem, and as we all know, they don't go well together.
This is a family in deep crisis. The eldest son Nig, has joined a gang (a sort of throwback to their warrior roots). Their middle son "Boogie", seems unable to stay clear of trouble either, being picked-up by Police in the company of real delinquents. Their eldest daughter Grace, is a shy, quiet, introverted girl, thoughtful and kind to her siblings. For some reason, we don't see much of their two youngest, and only one of them has a couple of lines in the film.

Jake has an unhealthy penchant for partying and drinking (one wonders how he can afford this, as he is on the Dole), inviting his drinking buddies over to his house, with no concern towards his children. Beth is really no better, as she allows this sort of thing, and you get the sense that it has been going on for quite some time. We are witness to Jake giving Beth a "beatdown", for not cooking for one of his buddies, and the aftermath, which shows how little regret Jake has for his actions. It seems that Jake's routine is no more than sleeping, drinking, fighting, partying, beating on his wife, and bullying his children.

When Boogie is remanded to State Custody, Beth wants to visit him, and because of a gambling windfall, Jake comes up with the money to make it possible, but on the appointed day, Jake would rather get drunk, than see his own son. During one of Jake's parties, Grace is raped by one of Jakes "mates", "Uncle Bully" (Clifford Curtis). Finding no solace within her family or friends, she commits suicide.

The cauldron boils over, as Beth is determined to take Grace's body back to her tribal land, to be buried with her people. Jake resents this, but Beth will not be swayed. After the burial, Beth discovers that Grace was raped, after reading Grace's journal/diary, by Uncle Bully. Beth goes to Jake's favorite Bar, and confronts them. It is here, that Jake shows SOME concern, and beats down Bully in a scene that makes one wonder how Clifford Curtis wasn't injured in the filming of it.

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"Once Were Warriors" became a hands-down favorite in New Zealand, out doing other "Blockbuster" films, upon it's initial release. There's no wonder as to why. It is an intimate look at a people at war with themselves, trying to make sense of a world they had no hand in creating.

Very well done film!

March 28, 2008

Once Were Warriors

This is one of my all time favorite movies. It really brings to light how when a people lose their culture (or have it taken from them) they also lose selfworth. March 26, 2008

Very powerful and eerie

Once Were Warriors is a look inside a Maori family's daily life of fighting, loving, and living. It's a view for outsiders of a proud culture and history, where men were once literally tattood, intimidating warriors capable of warding off even the most difficult adversary.

The father of the family is Jake The Muss (Temuera Morrison), a belligerent, incredibly insecure drunk, who compensates by laying the beat down on anyone in his way. He descends from a long line of slaves, and that chip on his shoulder causes the aggression. It isn't abnormal for him to randomly walk up to a stranger at his local pub and nearly beat him into a coma. Unfortunately for his family, they're often on the undercard for the fight.

Jake's wife, Beth (Rena Owen), is the backbone of the family, the true matriarch through which all struggles are either amplified or lessened. While far from a good mother, especially with one kid in a gang and one on the way to a juvenile home for Maoris, she's at least the one who comforts and shows love, and ultimately cares about her children's well-being.

Her strength, however, leads to confrontations with Jake, who definitely doesn't like to be challenged. And when the couple decides to have regular drinking parties at their house, inviting a large group of friends for loud singing and drunken debauchery, the violence is much more prevalent.

Eventually, the story moves along and the family deals with the struggles of domestic abuse, alcoholism, irresponsibility, detachment, rape, and separation. It's quite a roller coaster ride after a somewhat slow beginning. It's complete madness at times, but overcoming the daily problems eventually leads to triump, and a return to a proud way of life.

The one downside to this movie is the production value. It's clear that the budget wasn't very large, and it's quite good for what was available. The acting is top notch, however, and for the most part, overcomes any production shortcomings. February 18, 2008

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