01
Tyrannosaur
Why this pick
Like Once Were Warriors, it is an unflinching working-class domestic drama, driven by volatile masculinity, cycles of violence, and rare, hard-won moments of compassion.
A FILM WORTH A CLOSER LOOKTHE FEATURE PRESENTATION
MOVIE1994 1h 39m NZL
IF THIS ONE STAYED WITH YOU
Movies like
Once Were Warriors
Drama
CINEHUNCH / THE NEXT FRAME
Keep the feeling.
SIMILAR PICKS / A PERSONAL CONNECTION
If you loved Once Were Warriors, try these.
01
02
Animal Kingdom
Why this pick
Its tense, intimate portrait of a family ruled by intimidation echoes the emotional danger and damaged loyalties of the Heke household, with similarly unsentimental realism.
03
Nil by Mouth
Why this pick
A raw, closely observed family drama that shares the original’s abrasive energy, painful domestic conflict, and empathy for people trapped in destructive patterns.
04
A Prophet
Why this pick
Though set in prison, its forceful portrayal of survival, identity, and violence has the same gripping emotional directness and sense of a person shaped by a brutal environment.
05
The Dark Horse
Why this pick
Another tough, Māori-centred New Zealand drama, it pairs social hardship and family fracture with a compassionate, fiercely hopeful focus on healing and responsibility.
Finding the atmosphere, tension and little details that made this one stay with you.
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01 / THE STORY
A little about the film.
Beth leaves her small town and much to her parents' chagrin, she marries Jake "The Muss" (named for his big muscles) Heke. After 18 years, they live in an unkempt state housing in South Auckland, New Zealand, and have five children. Their interpretations of life and being Māori people are tested.
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02 / FACES IN THE FRAME
The people who bring it to life.
Rena Owen
Beth Heke
Cliff Curtis
Bully
Pete Smith
Dooley
Robert Pollock
Policeman
Taungaroa Emile
Mark 'Boogie' Heke
Temuera Morrison
Jake Heke
Julian Arahanga
Nig Heke
George Henare
Bennett