Te Rua - 1991
Pacific Films - 100 min.
Cast: Wi Kuki Kaa, Nissie Herewini, Tilly Reedy, Peter Kaa, Gunter Meisner, Maria Fitzi, Donna Akersten, Stuart Devenie.
Screenplay: Barry Barclay; Photography: Rory O'Shea, Warrick Attewell; Editors: Simon Reece, Dell King; Music: Dalvanius; Production Designer: Ron Highfield; Producer: John O'Shea; Director: Barry Barclay.
Some carvings of ancestors, taken from a Maori settlement in 1880, show up in a Berlin museum. Peter (Peter Kaa), a performing poet, wants to take the carvings back to his people. With the help of Rewi (Wi Kuki Kaa), an international lawyer, he is assisted in his fight. Te Rua is a passionate film about a quest for spiritual guardianship. The narrative is a bit overloaded with charactors and events, but not enough clear detail, so that the point of many scenes is muddled or lost, but it does contain emotional power. Filmed in Berlin, Wellington, Cape Palliser and the Wairarapa coast. Worth a viewing.
Censor rating: PG - Review rating: B-