While I have never claimed to be experienced enough to consider myself desensitized to brutal cinema, once you have seen some of the more controversial works that have been produced over the years (referring specifically to those films that are still made with some artistic integrity and refuse to cross a line), it takes quite a bit to leave me entirely speechless. However, the opportunity to find a film that can have such an effect is always welcome, since there are few experiences more enthralling than being at a complete loss for words, particularly when dealing with something that is very personal and striking in several ways. In his directorial debut, Lee Tamahori adapts the novel Once Were Warriors, which is based on the novel by Alan Duff (who has been widely considered an essential voice in Māori literature), and focuses on the Heke clan, a working-class family of Māori descent that are trying to make ends meet in their lower-class Auckland suburb but find themselves facing personal and domestic issues that threaten to derail their lives and change their entire worldview, which gradually shifts as they become more aware of the dangers lurking within their seemingly loving family, as well as their position as outsiders in a country originally occupied by their ancestors, but overtaken by the impact of colonization and imperialism. There are many reasons why Once Were Warriors has been cited as being such an influential work – the socio-cultural milieu, the straightforward and honest story and the filmmaking are all impeccable elements that drive this film and make it so enigmatic and captivating, taking the viewer on a journey into the heart of a culture that many of us are aware exists, but very likely have not encountered as direct and complex an examination of their identity until this film. I would even say that this film is one of the most important produced during that era (which was a watershed moment for representation) based purely on its willingness to investigate certain issues without any attempt to soften the psychological blow. Harrowing, dark and deeply compelling, Once Were Warriors is a harsh but essential film that proves the virtue of pushing boundaries, especially when it is for a greater cause.

In the process of adapting the novel, Tamahori had quite a challenge ahead of him when it came to choosing the right approach to the material. However, he went with the obvious option, which is also the correct one, in the sense that Once Were Warriors works best as a social realist drama, one that addresses its subjects directly and without any unnecessary stylization or elements that don’t need to be present in the film. The impact of this story is found in how it presents a bleak and direct portrayal of the lives of these characters, so in drawing from the many tremendous realist filmmakers that preceded him, the director uses Duff’s beautiful text to create a striking and honest slice-of-life drama, centred on the experiences of a family that are doing all they can to survive in a hostile world, but soon discovering that the true perils are not those that are encountered outside, but rather start within the home, which can be a place of comfort for most of us, but also become the location of some of the most traumatic, harrowing moments of our lives if we exist in a domestic situation that is not built on love and respect, but rather fear and intimidation. Tamahori does not avoid the difficult conversations – in fact, he uses them as the conceptual foundation for this film, choosing to draw our attention to these more harrowing elements that are present in the text, but take on an entirely new meaning when represented visually. The dialogue between Duff’s novel and this adaptation is fascinating since Tamahori is curating a few moments as being more important than others, but also focusing on the smaller details that occur in between these major events, which provides the film with a genuine complexity and a feeling of authenticity, allowing it to be deeply provocative but also extremely meaningful, a trait that is found in countless realist stories, all of which endeavour to look into the lives of ordinary people trying to make their way through life, some of them hoping to emerge from a less-than-ideal situation, but realizing that this is not nearly as easy as it may seem, especially when life proves to have many surprises. The bleakness with which Tamahori approaches this film is difficult but essential, and it would be odd if this novel had been translated to the screen in a way that was any less harrowing.

One of the reasons Once Were Warriors has been celebrated as one of the most impactful films of the past thirty years is due to its authenticity, which is primarily found in the characters that occupy the film and prove to be the foundation for the story. Every one of these characters is genuine and seems like a real person, rather than a fictional construction – this means that they run the gamut of emotions and have to be developed to be much more complex than we would expect. From the moment we step into the world of this film, we can sense that these are characters created in a way where there is a strong backstory, even if the film doesn’t intend to utilize it, but rather proves that these are well-formed, three-dimensional characters rather than mere archetypes. Much of the success of the film comes in how the actors take on these roles, and two in particular standout, with Rena Owen and Temeura Morrison turning in two of the greatest performances of the 1990s, the former in particular being incredible in a way that we may not have expected from such a small film. These are a pair of towering performances, and despite playing characters who are directly oppositional to one another, both Owen and Morrison work together well, drawing on the fierce differences between the characters to establish a solid foundation from which the film draws most of its commentary. Owen is beyond heartbreaking as the mother who just wants a future for her children but is also undergoing an existential crisis, realizing that every problem bestowed on this family is because they have lost that vital tether to their past, their origins becoming lost as a result of their pursuit of modernity, which has eroded the pride in their culture. Morrison is conversely someone who rejects the past, viewing traditions as unnecessary and stifling, and appropriately absent in the life of any logical individual. The psychological warfare occurring between these two characters is fascinating and deeply unsettling, and both are extraordinary, drawing out the most authentic emotions in their pursuit of these characters and what they represent, both within this particular story and as part of the cultural message being conveyed.

As made very clear by these astonishing performances, Once Were Warriors is much more than just a run-of-the-mill social realist drama, and while it is more than appropriate to gravitate towards the central storyline as being the most impactful (since it is exceptional and always effortlessly fascinating), other aspects of this film emphasizes the deeper meaning situated right at the core of the narrative. The story of a dysfunctional family and the impact of violence and alcoholism, as well as the subsequent abuse, is unfortunately not contained in this particular culture but is a universal concept that will resonate with many people. What makes its portrayal here so much more impactful is the cultural inventory that accompanies it – Once Were Warriors is a profoundly moving examination of the Māori, specifically their experiences within modern New Zealand. In any film that focuses on a specific culture and its relationship with the contemporary world, there is an element of complexity in how it is portrayed, usually being shown as a theoretical crossroads between adhering to centuries of traditions and fully embracing modernity, and the process shedding the foundation of your culture. Doing both is possible, but only to a certain point before it becomes too difficult, and one loses sight of themselves in the process. Identity is a fascinating concept, and everything about this film ultimately redirects to this theme. The family at the heart of the film may be connected by blood, but they are all undergoing very different psychological and emotional journeys, which are mainly caused by the fact that none of them feels particularly confident enough to embrace their culture, and instead find themselves struggling to form a sense of self-worth, and instead filter their frustrations and insecurities into other channels, which ultimately leads to self-destruction. There are several narrative threads throughout this film that we find carry a lot of meaning, and it all becomes a story about a Māori family trying to negotiate their identity, and only when everything they had is taken away do they finally realize their strength, or the lack thereof in the case of those who have entirely abandoned their origins.

A shocking, bleak and deeply unsettling drama that dares to venture where many films refuse, Once Were Warriors is not a film that can ever be described as pleasant or easy to watch – and it was importantly never the intention of this film to be as such since this would essentially remove the entire purpose of the story and its thematic undercurrent. Objectively, the film proves to be a fascinating exploration of Māori, with the oscillation between their life in urban spaces, as well as the customs that are still practised in their rural homelands and villages being a source of a lot of interesting commentary, which the film makes sure to focus on as it pursues a deeply moving sense of direction. However, this is not what lingers with the viewer – instead, we find ourselves drawn into this story by the promise of an unfurnished, honest glimpse into the life of a family, one that functions on passionate emotions that ultimately translate into violence. There are several moments in this film where the brutality threatens to envelop the entire experience, and many of the most notable moments are those in which the film surrenders to this anger and shows humanity’s tendency towards barbarism, particularly amongst those who have difficulty filtering their emotions into anything other than violence and destruction. There aren’t any broad messages to be found in this film, outside of the theme of cultural pride, and how it is important to remember where you come from, or else risk losing sight of your entire identity in the process. Instead, the film is a bleak and harrowing depiction of the human condition, an uncomfortable and heartbreaking exploration of domestic violence, mental health struggles and the experiences of being in a family where happiness isn’t a realistic goal, and all that they can feasibly strive to do is simply survive to see another day – and as we see throughout the film, even this can be too much of a challenge. Profoundly moving and deeply disturbing, Once Were Warriors has rightfully attained a reputation for being extremely brutal, and while it may be wise to caution sensitive viewers against seeing it, there is something profoundly impactful about how the film functions, making it a truly essential and deeply captivating work of social and cultural commentary.