Once Were Warriors (1994)

A family descended from Maori warriors is bedeviled by a violent father and the societal problems of being treated as outcasts.

Director:

Lee Tamahori

Writers:

Riwia Brown, Alan Duff (novel)

Stars:

Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell

22 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rena Owen	...	Beth Heke
Temuera Morrison	...	Jake Heke
Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell	...	Grace Heke
Julian Arahanga	...	Nig Heke
Taungaroa Emile	...	Boogie Heke
Rachael Morris Jr.	...	Polly Heke
Joseph Kairau	...	Huata Heke
Cliff Curtis	...	Bully
Pete Smith	...	Dooley
George Henare	...	Bennett
Mere Boynton	...	Mavis
Shannon Williams	...	Toot
Calvin Tuteao	...	Taka (Gang Leader)
Ray Bishop	...	King Hitter (in pub)
Ian Mune	...	Judge

Storyline

Set in urban Auckland (New Zealand) this movie tells the story of the Heke family. Jake Heke is a violent man who beats his wife frequently when drunk, and yet obviously loves both her and his family. The movie follows a period of several weeks in the family's life showing Jake's frequent outburst of violence and the effect that this has on his family. The youngest son is in trouble with the police and may be put into a foster home while the elder son is about to join a street gang. Jake's daughter has her own serious problems which are a key element in the plot.

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | new zealand | maori | gang | gang violence | 

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Taglines:

Her only chance for the future is to embrace the power of her past.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language and strong depiction of domestic abuse, including sexual violence and substance abuse

Details

Official Sites:

FineLine

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English Maori Spanish

Release Date:

3 March 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Alma dos Guerreiros

Filming Locations:

Auckland, New Zealand

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,201,126

Company Credits

Production Co:

Communicado Productions, New Zealand Film Commission, Avalon/NFU

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Temuera Morrison fought hard to keep the role once it was offered to him, even though he struggled to master it. He knew that the role was a huge challenge and that it would be the making of him as an actor.

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Goofs

When Beth is being beaten by Jake at the start of the film she is thrown into a mirror which shatters completely. Later when the children are cleaning up the mess the mirror is back on the wall with only a few cracks.

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Quotes

Beth Heke: You did this to me you bastard! I hope you spew your guts out.

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Crazy Credits

Most of the opening credits are either split in half, scattered in different areas of the screen, abnormally shaped or used in small white print. Some are even mixed.

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Connections

Followed by What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? (1999)

User Reviews

Just like to clear up some misconceptions.

I've been reading the comments that people have made on this brilliant piece of film making that makes me proud to be a kiwi. Although I'm not Maori, I have somewhat of an understanding of, and a very deep appreciation for Maori culture. It is after all a major contributor to the uniqueness of New Zealand, and it's what a lot of the tourists come here to see/experience.

Some people have commented that the character of Beth is "descended from Maori royalty" and that the character of Jake is "descended from slaves". That's not quite correct. Although there is a Maori monarch; (Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the current Maori queen lives at the Turangawaewae Marae in Ngaruawahia, her official residence.) the Maori monarchy only goes back to the 19th century, and its not really representative of all Maori as it only really affects Waikato iwi/hapu, (tribe/sub tribe) It is more likely that Beth would be descended from chiefly linage, and hence she and her whanau, (extended family) would be very much aware of and in tune with their whakapapa or ancestry. Beth's line near the end of the movie that her people "once were warriors" is an indicator of this.

(The facial and body tattoos, or Moko that one sometimes sees Maori wearing are in fact representative of their whakapapa. Also, the carvings that feature on Marae and other carved Maori buildings/gates etc are representative of tribal ancestors, much like Indian Totem poles.)

Jake on the other hand is obviously urbanized. He would most probably know little or nothing about his whakapapa, and in addition he probably would not even be able to identify with an iwi or hapu. This would explain why he makes several references to "Maori bulls***". He is disenfranchised from his culture, and probably doesn't even speak Maori that well. (Although Temurera Morrison himself speaks fluent Maori.) His family have obviously been living in Auckland for so long, and there has been such tribal intermingling, that he doesn't know whether he's Arthur or Martha. And what's more, he doesn't care either.

(For those of you who are interested, the motorway shown at the start of the movie is the Southern Motorway which runs right through South Auckland, which is where *a lot* of Maoris and Pacific Islanders live.)

As other people have said, this kind of thing is sadly not unique to Maori, as American/Canadian Indians and Australian Aborigines can testify. Likewise domestic violence itself is not only limited to minority ethnic groups.

This is easily one of the best movies that I have ever seen. So if you haven't had the privilege of seeing it yet, then I highly recommend that you do so. George Henare's stirring Taiaha scene alone is well worth the cost of getting the movie out.

(A Taiaha is a Maori spear. To use one of these, one must have immense mana, or importance. As Henare's character said, the British *feared* the highly skilled Taiaha warriors.)