Mahana

This review may contain spoilers!

A beautiful film with a really great look at Maori culture and heritage. I would give Mahana a 7.5/10.

This film is an incredible exploration of a family turmoil and the division that takes place within this family, there is an incredible rivalry between grandson and grandfather at the centre of this plot. Beyond this however what I really appreciated was how respectfully Maori culture and lifestyle was portrayed in this film, there's a great look at Maori family values as well as discrimination in the justice system against the Maori people. The soundtrack for this film has some great well placed numbers, yet it is the score of this film that invigorates scenes and really graces this film with an incredible accompaniment. The cinematography for this film is really well framed and shows an artistic sense of movement many times throughout, the camera work here is a great reminder of how beautiful New Zealand scenery is.

Akuhata Keefe, who played Simeon Mahana, is definitely finding his feet in this film but ultimately I think he does a great job as the lead for this film; Keefe plays a great instigator and really does a good job in the major scenes of the film. Jim Moriarty, who played Rupeni Poata, gives a really intriguing performance in this film; Moriarty develops a role that you grow to like and respect more and more as the film progresses. Maria Walker, who played Huria Mahana, has a fiercely strong presence in this film; Walker is a powerful actress and really plays a mother figure to Keefe really well. Sienna MacKinlay, who played Gloria Mahana, is a pretty good child actress; her line delivery is fantastic and she keeps up with the mature actors beat for beat. Fraser Brown, who played Mr McKenzie, gives a fairly solid performance as Keefe's teacher in this film; I liked the care that Brown portrayed as well as how well he presented important thematic ideas to the film. Stephen Lovatt, who played Judge Hughes, was a crucial part of my favourite scene of the film; Lovatt's humble role in the courtroom scene was a crucial element.

However the best performance came from Temuera Morrison, who played Grandfather Mahana. I knew Morrison would be playing an incredibly intimidating patriarch in this film but I had no idea that would also extend to such a complex antagonist. In a very similar way to how Moriarty built up a character you respected, Morrison slowly plays up the arrogance and rage of his role to create a thoroughly deplorable character by the end of the film. Morrison has a powerful presence in this film and steals most every scene that he's in.

This film has a pacing that isn't too bad but slows right down in a few places, a few unnecessary scenes and characters could have been dropped to remedy this. The editing for this film is a big reason for why this film is so slow, the cutting takes far too slow a pace to compliment the cinematography.

Nancy Brunning, who played Ramona Mahana, gave a very wooden performance in this film; Brunning's performance was one of the most disappointing as her character was one of the most important to the film's plot and she just didn't rise to the occasion. Regan Taylor, who played Joshua Mahana, had a really weak presence in this film; Taylor also didn't really have much chemistry with any of the other members of his family. Eds Eramiha, who played Pani, didn't really have much impact in this film; his romance with Piripi is one of the more forgettable subplots of the film. Ngahuia Piripi, who played Miriam Mahana, isn't given much of an opportunity to act in this film; I found far too often there were characters speaking for her. Miriama McDowell, who played Aunt Saphora, gave a really annoying performance; her character was very antagonistic but without any motive as to this form of attitude. Yvonne Porter, who played Poppy Poata, was one of those unnecessary characters that I mentioned earlier; I really didn't need to see the potential romance subplot play out between her and Keefe. Te Kohe Tuhaka, who played Caesar Poata, had next to no presence in this film; Tuhaka fell into the background more often than not. Grae Burton, who played Young Collins, displayed some of the worst acting in this film; his line delivery in particular was awful.