Once Were Warriors (1995)

"It's just the way things are," admits Beth Heke after another one of her drunken husband's beatings that has left her with a black eye that would do more harm than good if she was to show up at the court proceedings that will decide if her son Boogie is safe enough to live in the household. The sad reality of Once Were Warriors is that we feel this is a regular occurrence, and that the members of the Heke family have come to expect these incidents and normalise them within their daily routine, even as no wife should ever have to endure such things and no child should ever have to listen to them. The film's opening serves as the beginning of another cycle. Beth is a mother that is still fiercely beautiful, but perhaps has been weathered and aged by the torment she has had to endure. Is there a hint of this in the smile as she sees Jake come home? Rena Owen hides it very well, as if she is hopeful that today is the day things will change. The film also serves as a catalyst point for each of the older Heke children, and the direction in which they are headed. The viewer is made invested with each of Nig, Grace and Boogie's journeys, as Beth desperately tries to ensure that they are not caught up in their father's wrath like she is continually. Grace's arc is the pivotal point which shatters the cycle, but it is sad that it takes her suicide to finally set it in motion. Nig, the eldest son and the one who most physically resembles his hulking, brutish father, joins a gang and takes part in a violent initiation ceremony...in some alternate timeline it seems almost certain that he end up in the same situation as his father does. But he gains the strength and resilience to stand up to him, instead of merely walking away in disgust. Boogie's story-line is the least developed of them all - there are vague aspirations about the Maori culture and a spirited haka which could have unearthed more pathos had this aspect been better explored. The strength of Once Were Warriors, and what elevates its solid script into emotional harrowing events with powerful impact is the performances from the cast. Temuera Morrison is all size and brutish strength; in his flashes of anger and violence he is terrifying, but he is also very good at deceiving us with that laid-back, New Zealander smile, and a voice which shows us glimpses of his love for song and family. Even near the end as he collapses under the weight of everything thrown at him, his innate masculinity is still trying to rear its head, still trying to drown his sorrows and pretend that nothing is wrong. Do his final words betray a fear and awareness of the wrongs he has committed? Morrison makes this possible. Owen excels in both the subtle and the overt; the blood-curdling scream as she discovers her daughter's body hanging from a tree, and in the silent, trembling fury as she fiercely attempts to "hold her tongue" in front of her husband. And what about Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell, who treads almost silently as the beaten-down Grace, who whimpers like a helpless, abused dog as she is raped, and later shivers in the bathtub as she tries to erase physical traces of the violation but cannot scrub it from her mind. In the end there is only a little solace that she found relief from the pain, and a bittersweet feeling that it has resulted in the rest of the family finally moving away from it all.

It's interesting watching Once Were Warriors as someone who has grown up in New Zealand and lived in a suburb where many aspects of the movie, reflected much of what I saw going on around me. Crime, poverty, substance abuse, violence including domestic violence - all were staple components of where I grew up that relate well to the themes within OWW.Ironically, seeing it on the screen seemed to me, far more real than it had ever been before - despite knowing men like Jake Heke and women like Beth. Despite being friends with people like Grace and like Nig, it never seemed as real as what it did on-screen.That is a testament to the way this film was pulled together, but also to the many talented people involved - most especially the cast. Temuera's portrayal of Jake is stunning. You will laugh with him and at him, you will swear it him and you will curse him with every ounce of your body, wanting to walk across the room and reach out for Jake and stop him from striking out at Beth ... that is, if you aren't scared of him. Temuera's portrayal somehow manages to engage you with Jake's human side, seeing the love that he has for Beth whilst also showing you the absolutely monstrous and dark side of Jake the Muss.Rena Owen meanwhile does an equally astounding performance.This movie will grab your emotions by the fistful and throw them around the room, leaving them as battered and bruised as the fragile souls of Beth and Grace Heke.This movie is highly recommended, but it is also highly recommended that you watch this when you are in a space to do so.

One of the most powerful movies i have ever seen, and like what another user wrote on here its a movie that will stick with you long after you watch it, the story the acting the camera work are first class, if this movie was a Hollywood type big budget movie it would in my opinion win an Oscar or at least be nominated, it is that good and that's a pretty big statement to make but once you watch this movie you will somewhat agree with me, iv never watched a movie that has played with so many of my emotions and i'm a grown bloke that doesn't get emotional very often, and believe me i got choked a few times in this movie, like it says on the front cover its explosive but in a very good way, the acting is very believable and what a performance from temuera morrison, if you watch this movie you have to see the follow up movie of (WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED),these two movie's combined are definitely in my top ten movie dramas. "A MUST SEE MOVIE" 10/10

This controversial movie is about a young girl who is trying to make the best of her situation at home, but at the end fails to be happy due to the environment around her. It surprised me when the dad seemed to be a nice guy in the beginning then as soon as he touched alcohol, he turned in a raging bull. It sickened me to see the horrid realities that was happening around this family. The drinking, daily beatings, sexual harassments, all of which happened around the atmosphere of the children. Jake's incontrollable temper leads him to live a life tormenting his family. What i didn't understand was if he was making their lives so horrible why not leave that much sooner? Did the death of Grace have to be the push she needed to know that the environment the children were living in was not safe? Overall this movie moved me and kept me at the edge of my seat especially when sweet Grace turned sour, with all reasons deserved, on her family.