River Queen

Synopsis: In the mid 19th century, New Zealand was embroiled in major land wars between the British and the Maoris. Sarah O’Brien, (Samantha Morton), daughter of an Irish garrison soldier (Stephen Rea) gets pregnant to a Maori lad. Their son, Boy, (Rawiri Pene) is seven when he is kidnapped by his Maori grandfather. In search of him, Sarah goes to the village of rebel chief Te Kai Po (Temuera Morrison), where she falls in love with Boy’s uncle, Wiremu, (Cliff Curtis). There her allegiances will be sorely tested, especially when her British friend Doyle (Kiefer Sutherland) turns up with the army to battle the villagers.

Vincent Ward certainly had a sweeping vision for this film. Thematically it should be very interesting – the last stand of indigenous communities, people crossing their cultural boundaries, torn loyalties, a divided sense of identity, along with many fascinating incidents based on actual historical fact. So why didn’t it totally work for me?

From the outset the large slabs of Sarah’s voice-over are very intrusive and recur at distracting intervals only to give voice to the obvious. The film also presents as very self-consciously “arty”, with laboured slow-motion shots, a few sentimental flashbacks, heavy-handed and sometimes confusing use of imagery and a pnderously melodramatic musical score. The often-shifting loyalties and allegiances of various characters become hard to follow, the resulting impression of disjointedness making it hard to become emotionally engaged with the characters. At times the film doesn’t seem to know if it is an actioner, a love story, or a sociological study.

That said, there are strengths. Firstly the strong performances by much of the cast. Morton is her usual intense self and certainly makes us feel for a mother’s plight, desperate from the loss of her son. The chemistry between her and Cliff Curtis  is palpable, with Curtis being a very strong (and sexy!) on-screen presence. Morrison, well known from Once Were Warriors, is good as the chief, but other excellent actors like Rea and Sutherland seem underused in their roles. Cinematography is beautiful notably of the spectacular Whanganui Rive, and the insights into Maori tribal life are interesting, particularly the customs of face tattooing and the warriors preparing for battle with the fierce Haka dance.

Perhaps the director’s vision overreached, with just too much thrown into the mix. The Maori wars could have been better contextualised, and the film’s conclusion was too much of a neat finish for me. Although there is certainly historical interest and lovely scenery here, ultimately it left me unsatisfied.

 

 

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