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CibbuanoOnce Were Warriors
November 5th 2006 23:37
Once Were Warriors (1994)
Wow, who would've guessed that the Kiwis had more in them then the Finn brothers and a Phantom-loving dog? This is a brilliant and unique film (at the time of it's release, anyway), and gives the world a home-grown insight into New Zealand's native people and the changing cultural landscape they find themselves facing.
Bleak, uncompromising, funny, realistic, brutal... 'Once Were Warriors' portrays it's world in all the colours of life, bringing across a believable picture of a decaying culture and the fight to preserve the past struggling against a tide of urban modernism. The film follows the Heke family, headed by the hard-as-nails, wife-beating 'loveable chap' Jake-The-Muss (Morrison, in a role he will probably never match), an indelible character at once charismatic and repulsive, eating up the viewer's attention whenever he appears. He is flanked by his long-suffering wife Beth (Owen), a victim with enough flaws to drive home the reality of the situation portrayed. The film traces the collapse of the family from Jake's laying-off onwards, like a house of cards slowly falling apart, we watch each member succumb to a chain-reaction of unfortunate actions.
'Once Were Warriors' is full of expertly-constructed iconic moments, powerful and memorable thanks to good direction and good writing. The film plays out a tradition vs. modern world motif; the corrosion of the land and people of New Zealand. Alcohol corrodes Jake, and Nig is drawn into a twisted street-perversion of Maori tribal culture, whilst Gracie relates stories of the past amongst an urban wasteland of burnt-out car shells, junk and graffiti. It's somewhat telling that even amongst the decay of the outside world Gracie is safe, but her own tragedy comes from within her home. It's an 'entertaining' and strong film, with powerful themes at work underneath. Worth seeing.
HIGHLIGHTS: Watch out for the decor of the kids' room; it's adorned by various film posters of black guy/white guy American films, EG. 'Lethal Weapon', 'White Men Can't Jump', etc... suggesting a fictionalised cohesion between races.
TRIVIA: Followed by a sequel, 'What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted?' Both are based on novels of the same name.
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