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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Maori urban life that New Zealand tourists never see., 8 Aug 2004
In a film so hard-hitting that the viewer actually feels battered by the time it reaches its conclusion, a Maori family with five children must deal with urban violence, poverty, drugs, alcoholism, unemployment, gang warfare, rape, physical and mental abuse, suicide, and a host of other horrific family problems, all shown graphically. Beth and Jake Heke and their five children, along with numerous other Maori families, live in an urban ghetto of government-supported housing, isolated from the rest of society and isolated, too, from their old rural culture, which once gave pride and a sense of identity to Maori families. Here in the city the prevailing "culture" centers around bars, rather than the ancient meeting houses.Beth Heke (Rena Owen), the mother, loves her violent husband Jake (Temuera Morrison), despite his abuse of her when he is drunk, and she cares deeply about her children, but she is powerless to protect them or herself from Jake's rages. The oldest son (Julian Arahanga) is part of a street gang which covers their faces in traditional tattoos and uses their own violence for protection against others. Their sensitive second son Boogie (Taungaroa Emile) has been arrested for associating with car thieves. Most touching, however, is Gracie (unforgettably played by Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell), a thirteen-year-old beauty who is trying to lead a good life without any good examples to follow. Pathetically, she and the two youngest children are forced to "grow up early," accepting the horrors of their lives as "normal," while they try to survive any way they can. The bold, raw language of Alan Duff's novel of the same name becomes part of Riwia Brown's script, and Lee Tamahori's direction brings this powerful, absorbing, and overwhelming story of human misery to life. Tamahori uses contrasts throughout to emphasize the themes and the differences between contemporary Maori urban life and traditional Maori culture. He uses haunting Maori music to begin the film, then switches to scenes of rap and rock, he alternates quiet visions of a Maori village with loud bar activity, he shows the sweetness of Gracie against the grim living conditions of her best friend Toot (Shannon Williams), and depicts Jake's violence in contrast to the family's need for calmer, more focused lives. The cinematography, too, emphasizes the contrasts, though most viewers will be too focused on the overwhelming emotionalism of the scenes to notice. Though I loved the book, I found the film even better--the characters as acted here are much more heart-wrenching than I ever could have imagined. Mary Whipple
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