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| Tuesday 16th | 4.00pm | Cork Opera House |
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The leading light of New Zealand film, Vincent Ward, returns to his homeland to produce this enthralling story about a mother’s search for her lost son, against the backdrop of the Maori tribes resisting the colonisation of their lands.
New Zealand, 1868 - Sarah O’Brien, a young Irish woman, played in a fantastic performance by Samantha Morton, has grown up among soldiers in a frontier garrison on Te Awa Nui, the Great River. Pregnant at 16 by a young Maori boy, she gives birth to a son. Seven years later her life is torn apart when her son is kidnapped by his Maori grandfather.
She is eventually reunited with her son, and stays with him amongst the tribe of his father’s people. But when they declare war on the colonial forces, Sarah must choose where she belongs; will she be forced back into the white man’s way of life, or will she have the courage to follow the instincts that are telling her where she truly belongs?
The journey into Werner Herzog-style territory is striking to the eye and Morton provides a strong emotional constant amidst all the battles and conflicts. - Screen International |
