Once Were Warriors Essay

For overreach the big players in the world it is the people in the margins of our society whose stories atomic number 18 most obligate. To what extent do you agree with this assertion? Respond to this question with close reference to one or more text(s) you stupefy studied. The Heke family that feature in the ground-breaking New Zealand film from 1994, Once were warriors enjoin by Lee Tamahori are clearly a family living on the margins of society. They live in a realm house next to a busy and noisy motorway in South Auckland, New Zealand.Their write up is undoubtedly a compelling one an opprobrious husband with a love of beer drinking and parties who gains respect from the use of his fists at the local barroom a long-suffering wife who has somehow managed to hold the family together finished an obviously tumultuous 18 year marriage a disenchant older son who flees the dysfunctional household to join a inner circle a pubescent daughter who is the de-facto mother of the fa mily another son who has gotten in with the wrong crowd and is committing short theft and two younger children, Polly and Huata.conductor Lee Tamahori uses a range of camera and sound techniques, dialogue and compelling themes to teach us about the dangers of excessive alcoholism and moving outside from our ancestral connections. Jake the muss Heke is a compelling protagonist. After being move off from his job, he uses his redundancy money to bring home seafood for his family. We are initially positioned to see him as a loving and caring family man, that is until his wife Beth discovers he has been laid off and sees her dreams of buying their own home go out the window.Jake is a man of excuses who sees the dole as being alone 15 bucks a week less than my wages and bursts into a philippic of abuse when his wife Beth resists his sexual advances after discovering the truth. Jake also excuses his own desire for emphasis when he says, Look when I get like that, get out of my way, bu t youve got to get all lippy on me. Sure Ive a temper, but who hasnt? It is apparent that Jake has an inferiority complex dating right back to his courting days of Beth saying I was never bloody good enough and that he descends from a long ocellus of slaves unlike Beth who originates from more upper-class Maori roots.What this highlights is that domestic violence, while inexcusable sight often have its origin in insecurities from years beforehand. This is why hands in particular need to seek help when they are struggle with issues instead of resorting to excessive bing-drinking to numb emotional pain. Jakes wife, Beth is also on the margins of society as we see her struggling to raise her family amidst all the corporeal and verbal abuse around her. Gradually the low angle shots of Beth get more prominent as her courage to stand up to her abusive husband increases as also seen in her dialogue. I wont have any more of these parties or your bloody ugly motherfucker mates coming over. Tragically, Beths surge in power in response to Jakes failure to take the family to see dance in the Boys home comes too late, as unbeknownst to her, Uncle sashay has raped her daughter, Grace sending her into a downward spiral which culminates in her suicide. Beths courage in standing up to Jake and restoring the family without him is compelling.It must have inspired many women across New Zealand and indeed the world to farewell behind dysfunctional and violent domestic set-ups. The fabulous low-key visible radiation and low angle shot of Beth at the end as she sedately informs Jake that from now on I make the decisions for my family is inspirational and reminds us of the mana, congratulate and spirit that many Maori have. She finally goes home to her Maori ancestral roots as well as literally home to restore her devastated family in the rouse of Jakes departure.Perhaps the most compelling story of hope in the film is that of younger son, Boogie who is sent into welfa re after the state decides his family kitty no longer control him after his mother, Beth fails to accompany him to a court hearing (due to suffering a beating and rape at the hands of Jake) as a result of a string of petty crimes. Boogie finally gets the tough love he needs from Maori man, Bennett a distinguished tane who teaches Boogie to use his taiaha on the inside, instead of on the outside.Boogie packs that true mana is found by using your mind and developing the inner-strength and crack to solve problems instead of resorting to violence. Bennett, initially called a black bastard by Boogie despite being Maori trains Boogie to reconnect with his maori tikanga and culture which effectively clears up Boogies confusion about his Maori identity and that this can be a source of pride. This shows that with the appropriate guidance, initially wayward youth can have a chance to redeem themselves, although this is a job parents and to a lesser extent teachers need to be doing.State fo ster homes should unaccompanied be a last resort. In conclusion, Once Were Warriors left an indelible mark on the psyche of many New Zealanders with its brutal violence and depiction of problems such as binge-drinking and poverty that previously were swept to a lower place the carpet. Only by examining characters on the margins of society can we truly learn how easy it is to get there ourselves if we do not value our families, our reading or seek help when we are struggling with issues from our past. The story of the Heke family is a compelling one and a story we would do well to distribute seriously.