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River Queen - 2005
Director: Vincent Ward
Review by: Jo Wall and Isabelle Sutton
River Queen, the latest offering from Vincent Ward, is a dark and mythical journey of one woman’s quest to recover her lost son in the midst of the Maori wars. This period in New Zealand history has little to be proud of and the film reminds us of the torturous coming together of our nation. Sarah, (played by Samantha Morton) an Irish settler living in a British garrison outpost ‘upriver’, facing loss over and over, as she tries to find something to live for.
The setting of this dark and turbulent film is war. Led by men filled with a lust for control and bloodshed, both sides are as violent as each other. Although invader versus defender, both commit atrocities, the soldiers seem little more than mercenaries unsure of who they are fighting for, or against. The war causes several characters to lose their fathers, resulting in a crisis of identity.
Vincent Ward penned both the original story and the screenplay. The film suffers from heavy subject matter juxtaposed with stunning shots of the Whanganui river and it’s ethereal beauty. Tied together with voiceovers to explain the plot jumps, and an odd mix of Celtic, Maori and heavy orchestral music, the dialogue is hard to follow without subtitles. Temuera Morrison, the vengeful Chief Te Kai Po, has been linked with a real historical figure causing dismay at the portrayal of his actions. Keifer Sutherland is under utilised as Doyle, Sarah’s friend, though his Irish accent wavered.
All of Ward’s main characters are caught between two opposing cultures. Wiremu, (played touchingly by Cliff Curtis) is the young Maori warrior who is drawn to Sarah and crosses sides several times. Sarah also moves back and forth in her battle to find a home in this strange land. She eventually finds her half-caste son who has been ‘stolen’ by his paternal Grandfather, finding a boy who grew up to embrace his Maori heritage and someone she almost doesn’t recognise. Through the second half of the film she must rediscover him in the midst of clashing cultures, heartache and loss, she finds a man and a way of life that she struggles to find value in. Sarah and Wiremu find the others’ culture contains much to be respected, and yet things which are repugnant also. This very New Zealand struggle is ongoing today. We, the teenage half-castes, are still having trouble uniting our different heritages into one national identity.
Ward’s fascination with water shows in almost every shot. The powerful images of characters who are constantly wet and cold reinforce the lack of comfort in this land. It is not until Sarah, Boy and Wiremu forge their own family that the imagery changes to warm and homely, and we see they have found peace and comfort within a new mixed community. Water becomes a sustaining force in their lives, rather than a boundary and a threat.
The film is book ended with images of Sarah writing her life story as a spiritual replacement to confession because there is no priest in “This wilderness that even God forgot.” Journaling is a rich part of Christian tradition, and it seems that God did hear her story, as eventually she finds her place in the world.
Some of our torturous past can be embarrassing, but Christian history can leave us with similar shameful memories. The life we seek to live is a mix of our own, our culture, and our religious past to form a new community with a sense of family and belonging. Like the characters, we weave parts of several cultures to form our own identity. As in Whale Rider where Paikea and Koro mend the strands into a rope to start the boat engine, the weaving forms something unique distinct from the parts. In a fatherless generation we can benefit from adoption by whanau in forging a new way of being.
By Jo Wall & Isabelle Sutton
Director: Vincent Ward
Review by: Jo Wall and Isabelle Sutton
River Queen, the latest offering from Vincent Ward, is a dark and mythical journey of one woman’s quest to recover her lost son in the midst of the Maori wars. This period in New Zealand history has little to be proud of and the film reminds us of the torturous coming together of our nation. Sarah, (played by Samantha Morton) an Irish settler living in a British garrison outpost ‘upriver’, facing loss over and over, as she tries to find something to live for.
The setting of this dark and turbulent film is war. Led by men filled with a lust for control and bloodshed, both sides are as violent as each other. Although invader versus defender, both commit atrocities, the soldiers seem little more than mercenaries unsure of who they are fighting for, or against. The war causes several characters to lose their fathers, resulting in a crisis of identity.
Vincent Ward penned both the original story and the screenplay. The film suffers from heavy subject matter juxtaposed with stunning shots of the Whanganui river and it’s ethereal beauty. Tied together with voiceovers to explain the plot jumps, and an odd mix of Celtic, Maori and heavy orchestral music, the dialogue is hard to follow without subtitles. Temuera Morrison, the vengeful Chief Te Kai Po, has been linked with a real historical figure causing dismay at the portrayal of his actions. Keifer Sutherland is under utilised as Doyle, Sarah’s friend, though his Irish accent wavered.
All of Ward’s main characters are caught between two opposing cultures. Wiremu, (played touchingly by Cliff Curtis) is the young Maori warrior who is drawn to Sarah and crosses sides several times. Sarah also moves back and forth in her battle to find a home in this strange land. She eventually finds her half-caste son who has been ‘stolen’ by his paternal Grandfather, finding a boy who grew up to embrace his Maori heritage and someone she almost doesn’t recognise. Through the second half of the film she must rediscover him in the midst of clashing cultures, heartache and loss, she finds a man and a way of life that she struggles to find value in. Sarah and Wiremu find the others’ culture contains much to be respected, and yet things which are repugnant also. This very New Zealand struggle is ongoing today. We, the teenage half-castes, are still having trouble uniting our different heritages into one national identity.
Ward’s fascination with water shows in almost every shot. The powerful images of characters who are constantly wet and cold reinforce the lack of comfort in this land. It is not until Sarah, Boy and Wiremu forge their own family that the imagery changes to warm and homely, and we see they have found peace and comfort within a new mixed community. Water becomes a sustaining force in their lives, rather than a boundary and a threat.
The film is book ended with images of Sarah writing her life story as a spiritual replacement to confession because there is no priest in “This wilderness that even God forgot.” Journaling is a rich part of Christian tradition, and it seems that God did hear her story, as eventually she finds her place in the world.
Some of our torturous past can be embarrassing, but Christian history can leave us with similar shameful memories. The life we seek to live is a mix of our own, our culture, and our religious past to form a new community with a sense of family and belonging. Like the characters, we weave parts of several cultures to form our own identity. As in Whale Rider where Paikea and Koro mend the strands into a rope to start the boat engine, the weaving forms something unique distinct from the parts. In a fatherless generation we can benefit from adoption by whanau in forging a new way of being.
By Jo Wall & Isabelle Sutton
