Mahana
Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors) adapts the Witi Ihimaera novel Bulibasha, the story of a rivalry between two sheep-shearing families set on New Zealand's East Coast in the 1960s. Stars Temuera Morrison.
14-year-old Simeon Mahana (Akuhata Keefe), the youngest son of the youngest son, is in conflict with his traditionalist grandfather, Tamihana (Temuera Morrison). As Simeon unravels the truth behind the longstanding family vendetta he risks not just his own future prospects but the cohesion of the entire tight-knit society.
Screenwriter John Collee adapted the book to film, who is best known for writing the 2003 Oscar-winning feature Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.
- Director:
- Lee Tamahori ('Once Were Warriors', 'The Edge', 'Die Another Day')
- Writer:
- John Collee
- Cast:
- Akuhata KeefeTemuera MorrisonNancy BrunningJim Moriarty
Reviews & comments
Flicks, Paul Casserly
flicksMeaningful
A really good case study set in Poverty Bay, Gisborne about the balance of power in families, between genders, and within NZ society itself.The movie explores several other important issues of life in NZ such as domestic violence and Maori ties to the land and its animals. Strong performances from a talented cast especially Akuhata Keefe as Simeon and Nancy...
Well worth Seeing
A thoroughly enjoyable movie which will make you smile, laugh, cheer and maybe even come close to a tear - but not quite. And yes it is a trip down memory lane for some of us with the cars from our youth, houses we once lived in and school room antics. Reflects life as it once was and still is for some. Not as graphic as Once were Warriors but retains the...
For me, its like taking a step back in time.
This film gave me a sense of belonging to a time not quite lost. No hesitation in the flow of the story, although there were a few tense moments, there was a gentleness about it all. I loved the rural setting for this film, the old delapidated home, clearing the land of manuka and shrub, dirt roads, narrow bridges, shearing competitions. Beautifully...
Variety
pressExpands the still-limited canon of essential films about New Zealand’s tribal people...
The Guardian
pressMahana is a touch simplistic and very romantic. But it does what it does with skill.
Stuff
pressAny lack of narrative surprise is more than offset by the beautifully lit photography and gentle soundtrack which charmingly evokes the era.
Screen Daily
pressThis 1960s-set soap opera is filtered through sun-dappled nostalgia; there's so much soft focus that you start to wonder if there is something wrong with your eyes.
New Zealand Herald
pressTamahori deploys the action-movie skill he's developed in the US, without ever losing the feel of his homeland.
Hollywood Reporter
pressThe Patriarch aims for classical screen storytelling, but the result, while entertaining for a time, becomes clunky and predictable, its sentimentality amplified by awkward incorporation of songs into the lush score.
Flicks, Paul Casserly
flicksVariety
pressExpands the still-limited canon of essential films about New Zealand’s tribal people...
The Guardian
pressMahana is a touch simplistic and very romantic. But it does what it does with skill.
Stuff
pressAny lack of narrative surprise is more than offset by the beautifully lit photography and gentle soundtrack which charmingly evokes the era.
Screen Daily
pressThis 1960s-set soap opera is filtered through sun-dappled nostalgia; there's so much soft focus that you start to wonder if there is something wrong with your eyes.
New Zealand Herald
pressTamahori deploys the action-movie skill he's developed in the US, without ever losing the feel of his homeland.
Hollywood Reporter
pressThe Patriarch aims for classical screen storytelling, but the result, while entertaining for a time, becomes clunky and predictable, its sentimentality amplified by awkward incorporation of songs into the lush score.
Meaningful
A really good case study set in Poverty Bay, Gisborne about the balance of power in families, between genders, and within NZ society itself.The movie explores several other important issues of life in NZ such as domestic violence and Maori ties to the land and its animals. Strong performances from a talented cast especially Akuhata Keefe as Simeon and...
Well worth Seeing
A thoroughly enjoyable movie which will make you smile, laugh, cheer and maybe even come close to a tear - but not quite. And yes it is a trip down memory lane for some of us with the cars from our youth, houses we once lived in and school room antics. Reflects life as it once was and still is for some. Not as graphic as Once were Warriors but retains the...
For me, its like taking a step back in time.
This film gave me a sense of belonging to a time not quite lost. No hesitation in the flow of the story, although there were a few tense moments, there was a gentleness about it all. I loved the rural setting for this film, the old delapidated home, clearing the land of manuka and shrub, dirt roads, narrow bridges, shearing competitions. ...
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