Tag: indigenous films

Tagline: “In the darkest night the stars still shine.” 

Review:

At times a little disjointed, “Matariki” is the story of how lives can coincide just through one senseless act then overlap and metamorphosize into a new network of connections.

Everyone has their struggles, their strengths and weaknesses in this “slice of life” drama, and we see a common thread of wanting and needing love, of belonging, of being accepted for who and what they are. Sometimes it works out, at other times it doesn’t, but more often they just don’t really know what to do and things just happen. They keep trying, however.

Each of the actors believably portrayed their characters: a gay couple wanting to be accepted by their families, a young couple with a baby imminently due that neither wanted in the first place, a mentally challenged man whose dog is his greatest friend, and a couple of teenagers just wanting to get away from the rules and misunderstanding with their parents. The central focus is the act of violence that has left a Maori former sport star in serious condition. Never having felt accepted by his family, his Anglo wife remains at his bedside faced with a heartbreaking decision that she feels she should not make alone. Continue reading “Native Perspectives- #Film #Review: “Matariki” (2010)”