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﻿<title﻿>﻿New Socialist Magazine, Once Were Warriors - Review﻿</title>﻿

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﻿<b﻿>﻿Film Review 

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by Shoshana Bergman﻿<br﻿>﻿

﻿<i﻿>﻿New Socialist Magazine, January 1996﻿</i>﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

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﻿<font﻿ ﻿size="1"﻿>﻿Review of ﻿<i﻿>﻿Once Were Warriors﻿</i>﻿ starring Rena Owen.﻿</font>﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿


"Once Were Warriors", an award winning film set in rural industrialising New Zealand, depicts the daily struggle to survive of a native Maori family. With strong direction, a complex script and a complementary cast, Lee Tamahori creats a hard hitting depiction of Maori life, while at the same time showing their strength and beauty as a people. Rena Owen gives an effective performance as the mother Beth, enrighing the layers of character motivation and questioning the nature of the script. This film skillfully asks many questions about the vitimisation of women and children. However, it offers little in-depth analysis of the conditions which now exist for the Maori in New Zealand or the viability of options open to them. 

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

Beth vowed never to return to her village after the elders would not accept her marraige to a descendent of slaves. Recounted to their children, this story is illustrative of Maoriself-deprivation depicted in the film rather than confrontation with colonial exploitation and capitalist industrialisation. Their self-loathing is perpetuated through unemployment, alcoholism, brutal domestic violence, and crime. These acts manifest frustrated rage at the loss of their civilization, means of existence and warrior pride the Maori once embodied. 

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The abject conditions of systemic racism, violence and exploitation are pervasive in the town. However, attempts to lessen the Maori's alienation from themselves are explored through the film. 

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With the loss of her daughter to suicide, Beth finally finds the strength to defy her abusive husband and return to her village to bury Grace on tribal land. An honour guard of juvenile delinquents, gang members and tribal elders attend the funeral of an innocent victim of brutality, as the culmination of Maori pride and discipline depicted. 

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

Beth and her children are able to engage in isolated acts of defiance to challenge their oppression; although ultimately, crime, suicide, or moving back to a tribal village will not stop the colonial exploitation and capitalist system from which their people suffer.

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Caution -- graphic violence. This movie is now available on video. 

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