The Convert

 

 

This review may contain spoilers!

 

The Convert is a historical drama set during the times of colonial Aotearoa and follows a lay preacher who is troubled by the injustices faced by the warring Māori iwi and turns to championing their cause. The first act of this feature is something truly magnificant to behold. We get to see this righteous figure of Thomas Munro enter Aotearoa after a difficult overseas journey. He enters this land with a curious mind and a great deal of compassion for others; leading to his saving Rangimai from Akatarewa's raiding party. The establishment of this father/daughter like relationship, an almost guardian status is a soft and gentle thing at first that is often faced with turmoil from the town Munro preaches for. The Convert really highlights the way English colonies preyed on that which is other; this can be seen in the murder of Pahirua, the framing and murder of the Roman Catholic grocer, the 'exile' of Charlotte and Kedgley's dealings with the iwi in the area. I also liked the time spent learning of the Māori people in this historical context, in which they held their own way of life but had also adopted changes due to the pervasive nature of English colonialism.

This is one of Lee Tamahori's most beautifully shot features yet, the way the landscape of Aotearoa is captured speaks to something truly ancient and beloved about this place. Aotearoa feels vast and beautiful, it's wildlife so fascinating and even the move to visceral action, though shocking, will have your gaze arrested to the screen. The musical score by Matteo Zingales is enitrely melancholic, filled with long moments of sorrow and mourning woven into song. I was also really impressed by the very appropriate use of Māori waiata, which often lended this sense of gravity to a scene.

 

Guy Pearce, who played Thomas Munro, is an absolutely fantastic protagonist performance in this; there's a scene of great hardship in this where Pearce recounts an attack against a school his character made in the past in what I can only describe as the best monologue from The Convert. Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne, who played Rangimai, is such a powerful young performer; the scene in which she demands someone seek revenge on her behalf was such a moving moment. Antonio Te Maioha, who played Maianui, is a very stern chieftain figure; Te Maioha is a steady presence who leads with great strength and really stands tall in his scenes. Jacqueline McKenzie, who played Charlotte, really did so impressively with her dedication to portraying a woman who could really fluently speak both English and te reo Māori; the pain McKenzie displays at recounting how Charlotte feels losing her family is another impactful moment of the feature. Lawrence Makoare, who played Akatarewa, is a truly excellent antagonist; Makoare presents a man entirely motivated by violent war and conquest.

However, the best performance came from Dean O'Gorman, who played Kedgley. In the context of the whole film, Kedgley was really just a character role that didn't have as much screen time but I found the role to be something incredibly genuine from O'Gorman. This mercantile ship captain has an air of indifference to him when first we meet him; he struggles to give a dedicated eulogy to one of his own crew and fobs the job off to the protagonist. O'Gorman as Kedgley feels very charismatic, he speaks well to those he meets and is passionate about his trade in Aotearoa, particularly with the Māori iwi. Yet the more we see how Kedgley peddles and swindles, the more the charisma falls away to reveal a more wily and cunning figure. The scene in which he desperately negotiates for Munro's life by equating him to a slave shows his true colours. But later yet, we come to see the greedy and arrogant trader Kedgley is; and his own hubris in holding superiority over the Māori people.

I was really hooked in by this film, knowing it was made by a legend of Kiwi cinema and just watching how entirely gorgeous it was had me very excited. But there was something else nagging away at me quite severely. Early in the film we get to see 'man of God' Thomas munro land upon Aotearoa by aiding his white horse to shore and then riding out of the surf along the shoreline. It was a very messianic moment and it made me think of a classic Hollywood criticism around the 'white saviour' figure. As a whole the film has a very Pākehā driven narrative, surprising considering how many Māori creators were behind the development of The Convert. Yet the film itself follows Munro as he saves Rangimai and nurses her back to health, then delivering the body of Pahirua back to Maianui. From here he teaches this iwi how to fight better with muskets, attempts to 'expose' the reasoning and practice to the Māori people, offers to singlehandedly negotiate and save Maianui's people and then turns to violence to fight for Maianui's people when Akaterewa attacks. There is also a side character who is partnered with Munro as one of the three central protagonists; a Pākehā woman who once married into Maianui's iwi. By the end of the feature Munro speaks on behalf of the Māori iwi to the English Crown colonial representatives, all while sporting a mataora. There is a lot of this that makes me wonder how much Munro and Charlotte deserved or even should have been the centre of this story, when figures like Rangimai were so better represented and meant a great deal more to the story. I understand wanting to make a film that resonated strongly with white audiences but I'm not convinced this was the happy medium it wanted to be.

The editing felt very inconsistent with some jarring cuts and fade to black transitions that looked horrendous. The uninspired approach to editing let down the stunning visuals of the feature in a few places and also dragged the pacing out a bit more than was really necessary.

Duane Evans Jr., who played Pahirua, feels a little too comfortable giving nothing at all to his role; this is a character that drops into the background very easily. Madeleine McCarthy, who played Bethany, doesn't really have much chemistry with Evans Jr.; the romantic entanglement between these two feels like the script pushes them together more than anything else. Ariki Salvation-Turner, who played Uenuku, has what can be described as some of the worst line delivery in the film; Salvation-Turner feels like he is regurgitating the script but hasn't found much of his character at all.

A truly majestic Aotearoa film visually, but the plot left me feeling a bit complicated when the credits started rolling. I would give The Convert a 6/10.