sharky_55
"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.
djmotiv
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.
dwejbe
"Once Were Warriors" was a pretty good film. its starts out with a cool laid back family, but then then the family just gets ripped apart. Very violent film in my opinion, it kind of reminds me of a graphic comic book for adults. the film deals with real crazy issues with a family and takes it to a whole another level. The movie reminds me of "the Warriors" just on there style and it's different approach to making a movie. The music that is being played in the film has a type of reggae rock type feel. It goes perfect with this film because reggae has that laid back feel when you are listing to it and the rock music gives the movie some energy and some power.
