The Doris Duke theatre recently held its inaugural Aotearoa-New Zealand Film Festival, featuring several wonderful films from prominent Maori filmmakers – most prominent of which being “Boy,” the story of a precocious kid struggling to connect with his wayward father against a rural New Zealand backdrop.
Two additional films, “O Tamaiti” and “Manurewa,” can be seen online at newzealandonscreen.com. “O Tamaiti” provides a provocative look into the lives of a broken Samoan family, seen through the eyes of struggling children. Sima Urale does a remarkable job of portraying the undeniably strong bond between the Pacific Island siblings, capturing the fragility and frustration the kids experience.
The most most striking aspect of this film is the ability of the children actors to display the range of emotions depicted here, especially by the lead boy, whose tender grief is palpable .
His pain is further deepened by his parents utter indifference towards his feelings- an especially egregious oversight given the amount of time he dedicated towards raising the infant in lieu of their control.
This hints at the rather immature nature of the parents, and brings their ability to raise children into question.
The film also provides insight into the native way of life, and the trust indebted to the younger generation, for better or worse.
There are several occasions in the film where the eldest boy looks after the rest of the children when the parents leave or are’nt around. This speaks to the incredible burden thrusted upon them at such a young age.
It also illustrates some of the old Samoan customs mixed in with the new, such as the praying in Samoan before dining, and the turmoil and grief during funerals.
The festival also screened “Manurewa,” which is a startling, uncompromising glimpse into the lives of New Zealand’s troubled youth, told through the vantage point of an unwilling participant in an event that happened in real life.
Sam Peacoke reimagines the terrible circumstances of the fateful night with stunning clarity and poignancy, illuminating a darker side to a country not known for its criminal element.
The film features an indigenous New Zealand class, who speak to each other in an authentic manner. “Manurewa” does an excellent job of showcasing the other side of New Zealand than most are accustomed to, eliciting the seedy underbelly that exists in a place many think of as paradise – much like they way the general populace misconceives Hawai‘i.
“Manurewa” is shot with a darker palette, emphasizing the bleak nature of the characters and situations. The cinematography brings this out extremely well, and supports the atmosphere of this gritty film.
Overall “Manurewa” is a stunning achievement, not just for New Zealand film, but Pacific Island film in general, for few shorts have managed to authentically depict the bad in places where so much good is expected.