084 Once Were Warriors (1995)

“WHY’S EVERYTHING SO BLACK, TOOT?“

(CONTENT WARNING: Although this movie was very good, we do have to warn you that it might not be for everyone. The subject matter is difficult and might be triggering for some, as it deals with domestic violence, sexual assault and suicide.)

On this episode, we explore mid 90’s New Zealand Maori cinema in the critically acclaimed Once Were Warriors, directed by Lee Tamahori. The film stars Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, and Cliff Curtis, and it is based on the first entry of Alan Duff’s book trilogy. We went into this movie blind, only really knowing Temuera Morrison from playing Jango/Boba Fett in Star Wars, and seeing Cliff Curtis show up everywhere from Avatar 2 to Training Day. We took it up after one of Austin’s streamer friends RasNoMas, a native Hawaiian, recommended it to cover the podcast. The film was a huge hit in New Zealand when it was originally released in 1994, drawing more at the NZ box office than Jurassic Park! It was released to the states the following year, and almost 20 years later we both watched it for the first time.

The film is about a Maori family living in Auckland, New Zealand. Jake, played by Temuera Morrison is at first very charming, but has a violently abusive side to him that terrorizes his whole family. Beth, played by Rena Owen, is trying to be there for her children but is slowly losing them one by one. Throughout the course of the film, we see the family take refuge in parts of the Maori heritage and culture.

The great thing about watching films from different periods, from different parts of the world, and from different cultures, is that we get a good luck at what it’s like to live in someone else’s shoes. Once Were Warrior succeeds here, as it doesn’t portray our characters as one dimensional archetypes, but as complex people brought to life by truly phenomenal acting.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

You can listen to this episode on:

Spotify: HERE

Apple Podcast: HERE