Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Drama about Maori family has abuse, drinking, suicide.
Parents Need to Know
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Once Were Warriors
What's the Story?
In ONCE WERE WARRIORS, Beth (Rena Owen) and Jake "The Muss" (Temurera Morrison) Heke have been married for 18 years. They are a Maori family who live in poverty in a government apartment in Auckland, New Zealand with their kids. Jake has just been fired from his job and is content with living on the dole while spending his days and nights drinking heavily with his friends. Their oldest, Nig, is joining a Maori gang, and his younger brother Boogie is sent to a foster home due to the family's unstable home life. Thirteen-year-old Gracie writes constantly in her diary and spends time with her best friend, a homeless boy named Toot. When drunk, Jake often turns verbally abusive to his kids and physically abusive to Beth. When a day trip to Boogie's foster home doesn't happen because Jake decides to go to the bar instead, the party that ensues when Jake and his friends go back to his house leads to catastrophic consequences. For her sake and the sake of her kids, Beth must find a way to leave Jake once and for all.
Is It Any Good?
This is a searing portrait of a Maori family devastated by abuse and alcoholism. Once Were Warriors is about finding an identity and fully embracing one's background and culture and the pain that happens when that identity is denied or ignored. Decades after its release, this is a movie that has earned the right to be called a classic. It's unflinching in its depictions of abuse, poverty, and despair, but there's also some small sense of hope that shines through the pain.
While very much a product of a 1990s realism that presented unsentimental portraits of the urban poor, particularly of minority or indigenous populations, the story, direction, style, and acting transcend that time. It's an unforgettable movie, at times difficult to watch, because the performances -- from Rena Owen and Temuera Morrison in particular -- are so overwhelming in their emotional intensity. But despite all that seems lost, Once Were Warriors reveals that it's possible for individuals and people who feel lost to find themselves again.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the disturbing moments of violence in Once Were Warriors. Why are these moments necessary to depict the realities of living with an alcoholic and abusive father?
This movie is based on a novel. What would be the challenges in adapting a novel into a movie?
How does the movie show the ways in which some of the characters grow to embrace and celebrate Maori culture and traditions? How is the title, in some ways, a reflection of this aspect of the story?
Movie Details
- In theaters : September 2, 1994
- On DVD or streaming : September 16, 2016
- Cast : Rena Owen , Temuera Morrison , Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell
- Director : Lee Tamahori
- Inclusion Information : Polynesian/Pacific Islander Movie Actor(s) , Indigenous Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Critereon Collection
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Run time : 102 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Pervasive language and strong depiction of domestic abuse, including sexual violence and substance abuse.
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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