1960s, East Coast of New Zealand. Two Māori sheep-shearing families, the Mahanas and the Poatas, are longstanding enemies and commercial rivals. 14-year-old Simeon Mahana, the youngest son of the youngest son is in conflict with his traditionalist grandfather, Tamihana. 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.
Acting
Temuera Morrison's terrifying patriarch energy.
Direction
Tamahori returns to intimate storytelling, finally.
Cinematography
East Coast landscapes that ache with memory.
Director
Lee Tamahori
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Adapted from Witi Ihimaere's novel 'Bulibasha,' which reclaimed Māori rural masculinity from colonial caricature. Tamahori insisted on filming in the actual East Coast locations Ihimaere wrote about.
Temuera Morrison and Nancy Brunning had played lovers in 'Once Were Warriors' (1994) — here they're father-daughter, which Brunning found deeply weird to navigate.
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