Backbencher

Once Were Warriors is a shocking movie about urban Auckland. This movie is based on Alan Duff's book with the same name. It is about a Maori woman, Beth Heke, who chooses her husband over her family and all of the struggles that come along with her abusive husband. Not only does Jake the Mus, the husband, enjoy getting into fights at the local bar, but when he gets drunk he takes his aggression out on his wife. This violence not only has an effect on his wife, but their children as well. Their youngest son is in trouble with the police while the oldest son is becoming involved with an Auckland gang. Their oldest daughter seems to be having a hard time with it as well; her best friend is a druggie who lives in an abandoned car.

As we follow the family for a few weeks we begin to see what they go through in their daily lives; from the youngest son's court dates to the daughter's writing about what is happening to her. In the end the struggle of the wife deciding where she really belongs is resolved and we see how that decision affects her family.

When looking around the video store for this movie I found the sequel to this movie. I did not know that they had made a sequel...I did not really know that it was a movie that could have a sequel. It would be interesting to see what has become of the Heke family. I would encourage others to watch this movie so that they can see what life is link in urban Auckland.