Waru directors Briar Grace-Smith and Ainsley Gardiner helm this time-transcending Māori drama based on Patricia Grace's novel about three cousins, separated by circumstance, and their long journey to find each other. Grace-Smith co-stars with Tanea Heke (Waru) and Rachel House (Hunt for the Wilderpeople).
Mata (Heke), Missy (House) and Makareta (Grace-Smith). Three cousins. Three lives. Separated by circumstances, yet bound together by blood. Orphaned Mata believes she has no whānau and lives out her lonely childhood in fear and bewilderment. Back home on the land, educated Makareta flees an arranged marriage to study law and begin the search for her missing cousin. She leaves behind cheeky yet dutiful Missy who takes on her role of kaitiaki (guardian) of the land. As the years pass, loss of the family land seems imminent and the women’s promise to bring their stolen cousin home seems more unlikely than ever, until a chance encounter changes everything.
Anchored by superb performances, and with the impacts of systemic dislocation and colonisation on Māori evident throughout, Cousins is a deeply moving dramatic triumph, one that stayed with me for some time after the cinema lights came back on.
Full reviewA film that achieves so much, and yet it’s the subtle moments of the film that stay with you long after watching.
Full reviewThe film of Patricia Grace's novel Cousins is out, and the wait was worth it.
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Powered by a mighty heart, the blood coursing through the veins of this story is Aotearoa's, and regardless of where our bloodlines come from, it's one we all can connect with.
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A timely and vital look at the importance of identity, family and institutional inequalities, some of which shamefully still exist today.
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