Once Were Warriors / L’Âme des guerriers

Jake and Beth Heke’s family lives in a poor suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. The loss of his job has made Jake a brutal alcoholic. He scares his five children and his wife, a proud Maori descendant, opposes his outbursts. But the family’s unity is soon to be shattered in an escalation of violence from which no one will escape unscathed.

« The historical and cultural contexts driving Once Were Warriors ensure its status as vital anti-colonialist cinema, though the central narrative has the makings of a familiar social drama. Tamahori’s treatment blends a gritty and confronting piece of reality with a need to raise awareness about a marginalized culture. He places the viewer in the middle of scenes filled with intoxicated energy, highs of initially infectious male-bonding and song-singing, which at any moment can, and often do, flip like a switch into disturbingly violent posturing and beatings. » Brian Eggert, deepfocusreview.com