Once Were Warriors (1994)

One woman tries to keep her family together despite her violent, alcoholic husband. Based on the novel by Alan Duff. Made in New Zealand.

For Jake and Beth Heke, life in their suburban ghetto is going from bad to worse. Jake's just lost his job, their delinquent teenage son Boogie has to appear in court and they can't make ends meet with five growing kids. Late that night, they host another one of Jake's raunchy drinking parties while the children lie awake in their bedroom. When their oldest son asks for money, which Beth discovers Jake has gambled away, it ignites a vicious argument that Jake solves...
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by giving Beth one of his brutal beatings. The tide of violence continues to ebb and flow in the Heke household until a terrible tragedy makes them confront the dysfunctional state of their family.
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This powerful drama was a major hit in its native New Zealand, outgrossing Jurassic Park in Kiwi cinemas. Jake and Beth Heke (Temurea Morrison and Rena Owen) are a couple of Maori descent who are living in a slum in Aukland. While it's obvious that they still love each other, Jake's alcoholism has driven a wedge into their relationship and has left their children emotionally scarred. Jake is charming while sober, but when drunk, he's a violent psychopath given to blink-of-an-eye mood changes and terrible cruelty against his loved ones. Liquor has also made it difficult for Jake to hold onto a job, leaving him dep...
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endent on the dole to feed his family. Nig (Julian Arahanga), Jake's oldest son, has turned his back on his father and joined a gang of Maori youths whose initiation rituals include tattooing and torture. Jake's 13-year-old daughter Grace (Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell) prefers to spend her time with her drug-addicted boyfriend -- rather than stay home and fight off the advances of her father's friends. And Boogie (Taungaroa Emile) ends up in juvenile hall when Jake's drinking prevents him from going to court to speak on Boogie's behalf. Once Were Warriors was based on an acclaimed novel by Alan Duff.
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Once Were Warriors is het verhaal van een kansarme familie aan de smerigste rand van de stad. Het is dat deel van de stad waar het werk van een welzijnswerker de druppel op de gloeiende plaat is, waar werkloosheid heerst, mensen het zicht op verbetering kwijt zijn en hun toevlucht zoeken in drank en drugs. Wie zich in zo'n milieu niet staande weet te houden, is slachtoffer. De harde wetten in deze urban jungle gelden ook voor het gezin van Beth en Jake. Beth is de trotse vrouw met Maori-bloed die zich bij elke poging om haar gezin uit deze situatie los te worstelen nog verder terug ziet geworpen, terwijl Jake zic...
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h bij de ellende heeft neergelegd en met zijn drankzucht en agressie alleen nog maar meer schade aanricht.
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