Mahana (film)


Mahana is a 2016 New Zealand drama film directed by Lee Tamahori, and written by John Collee, based on the novel Bulibasha: King of the Gypsies by Witi Ihimaera. It was released as The Patriarch outside New Zealand.

Plot

Mahana tells the story of two Maori families, the Mahanas and the Poatas, who are bitter rivals. The family rivalry purportedly dates back to the Tamihana Mahana falling in love with Ramona and snatching her away from her betrothed, Rupeni Poata. By the late 1950s, Tamihana Mahana is the patriarch of the Mahana clan and runs a successful sheep shearing family business in the Gisborne District. The headstrong Simeon Mahana chafes under his grandfather's authoritarian rule. As punishment for making snide remarks during the family's dinner prayer, Tamihana assigns Simeon household chores. While cleaning his grandmother's study, Simeon discovers a photograph of Ramona Mahana and Rupeni Poata as a couple.
Later, Simeon shows the photo to his mother Huria Mahana and his aunts. Huria is unhappy with her son for digging into family history and claims that his grandmother could not stand Rupeni. Simeon later asks his grandmother who is reluctant to talk about the matter but remarks that "men fight for what they want". The following day, Tamihana assigns his grandson Simeon with transporting a slain sheep to his family at a distant shearing station. On the way, Simeon discovers Ramona's abandoned homestead. At the shearing station, Simeon learns that the Mahana shearers have sufficient meat supplies and that his grandfather sent him on a wild errant. When Simeon vents his resentment towards his grandfather, his mother reminds him that Tamihana is the source of their livelihood.
Tamihana later allows Simeon and the other Mahana grandchildren to watch the Western film at the local theatre in town. The Poata youth Mehaere Poata disrupts the screening by riding his horse through the theatre. Amidst the chaos, Simeon takes the opportunity to kiss Poppy Poata. Later, Simeon and his class attend the local courthouse as part of a school trip. At the time, the Māori language is not allowed to be spoken at courtrooms. One of the defendants is Mehaere Poata, who is sentenced to two years for criminal mischief. When asked by his teacher to address the judge on behalf of his class, Simeon gives a moving speech criticizing Caesar's harsh treatment and the ban on the Māori language. Following the trip, Simeon is praised by both his teacher Mr McKenzie and Rupeni Poata for his courage.
Back at the Mahana family home, a displeased Tamihana attempts to punish Simeon by giving him a haircut. Simeon's father Joshua Mahana rushes to his son's defense and strikes his father. As punishment, Tamihana disinherits Joshua, his spouse, and children and exiles them from the farm. Ramona intervenes and bequeaths her house and land to her son Joshua and his family. Simeon and his family work hard to restore the dilapidated house. Ramona also visits her Simeon's family to provide them with moral support. Simeon's aunt Miriam Mahana and her lover Pani later join Simeon's family. While trying to repair a leak on a rainy night, Joshua suffers a broken leg. Simeon seeks help from Rupeni Poata, who outfits Joshua with a Thomas splint.
With his family struggling to make ends meet, Simeon manages to secure a shearing contract from the farmer Mr Collins. Simeon's teacher Mr McKenzie also helps out by providing the Mahanas with work clearing the bushes. During the summer, Simeon convinces his dad Joshua to sign up their family for the Golden Shears competition as "Mahanas 2". The "Mahanas 2" compete against both their Mahana kin and the Poatas. Following a grueling competition, the "Mahanas 2" win the Golden Shears award and a prize of NZ£ 250. Simeon learns that Ramona never loved his grandfather Tamihana because he raped her and stole her from Rupeni. With the family patriarch Tamihana dying from bowel cancer, the Mahana clan gather at the family homestead. On his deathbed, Tamihana passes his grandson a letter.
During the funeral of Tamihana, the Poata clan led by Rupeni turn up. Before a fight can break out, Simeon tells everybody the contents of Tamihana's letter. He tells them that Tamihana had made an agreement with Ramona that she could return to her lover Rupeni following his death. After some debate, Ramona speaks up for her grandson and confesses that she never loved Tamihana. While Ramona leaves with Rupeni, the Mahanas and Poatas reconcile. Rupeni praises Simeon for bringing peace to their two families. Simeon begins dating Poppy Poata.

Cast

Mahana was produced by the New Zealand-based production company Jump Film and Television. The movie was funded by several parties including the New Zealand Film Commission, New Zealand On Air, Māori Television, Entertainment One, Wild Bunch, and several private equity investors. In addition, Mahana was the first New Zealand film to be funded through the Snowball Effect equity crowdfunding platform. While the source novel Bulibasha: King of the Gypsies is set in New Zealand's Gisborne District, filming for Mahana took place in the countryside outside Auckland, the country's largest city.

Release and reception

Mahana has received positive reviews from critics. The movie received an 85% rating on the film review website Rotten Tomatoes. The movie was first screened at the 2016 Berlin Film Festival on February 13, 2016, prior to its New Zealand debut on March 3, 2016. The Guardian reviewer Henry Barnes awarded the film three out of five stars. Despite its simplistic and romantic storyline, Barnes described Mahana as a story that could apply to every family "whose male leader forgets that his role is to offer support, love and security—not hard-hearted rule." The Hollywood Reporter Dave Rooney described Mahana as an old-fashioned family saga with conflicting impulses. He criticized John Collee's script-writing, commenting that the "on-the-nose dialogue, ripe melodrama and preprogrammed emotional responses will test all but the most forgiving viewers".
Stuff.co.nz reviewer Graeme Tuckett praised the film, describing it as "having all its pieces present and correct". Tuckett also likened Mahana to Lee Tamahori's 1994 film Once Were Warriors and praised Ginni Loane's incorporation of landscapes and interior shots into the cinematography. However, Tuckett criticized the film for its predictable and melodramatic storyline. Newshub reviewer Kate Rodger awarded the film three out of five stars; praising the performance of the main cast including Temuera Morrison, Nancy Brunning, and Akuhata Keefe. Rodger also praised Loane's cinematography for immersing the viewer "entirely in the back blocks of New Zealand's rich farming heritage and lending a very tangible and convincing authenticity to the story." The New Zealand Herald reviewer described Mahana as a "Māori story with universal appeal" and credited the screenwriter John Collee for adapting Witi Ihimaera's novel Bulibasha: King of the Gypsies into a "tight family saga of promises broken and secrets kept."
The Sydney Morning Herald reviewer Paul Byrnes praised Mahana as a landmark film in Māori cinematography, describing it "as an engrossing narrative on a grand scale about quotidian lives." Byrnes also opined that the film dealt with manhood, masculinity, and feminine power within families.