Once Were Warriors (1994)

IMDb plot summary: A family descended from Maori warriors is bedeviled by a violent father and the societal problems of being treated as outcasts.

Directed by Lee Tamahori. Starring Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell, and Julian Arahanga.

Once Were Warriors follows a New Zealand family with five children, an abusive father, and a mother who's at the end of her rope and determined to care for her children. We see the various family members react to the father's control in different ways, as well as deal with their indigenous heritage and what that means for who they are now. This is a raw, no-holds-barred story that at times is very uncomfortable to sit through because of that -- an early violent scene in particular is brutal to watch -- but it really drives home the difficult situation this family is in. We root for them HARD to find stability, from the older boys who find themselves really working to set themselves apart from their father's violent behavior but not being sure how, to the younger two who have absorbed this as just a normal fact of life, to the mother and middle daughter who see a way out as an almost impossible dream. This film drew me into it and didn't let me go until the credits rolled, and it's definitely one I'm adding to my list to rewatch sometime.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Once Were Warriors > Hustle & Flow

Once Were Warriors > My Name Is Joe

Once Were Warriors < Crimes and Misdemeanors

Once Were Warriors < Clue

Once Were Warriors < Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Once Were Warriors > Mr. Brooks

Once Were Warriors < Cyrano (2021)

Once Were Warriors < The Beauty Inside

Once Were Warriors > This Boy's Life

Once Were Warriors > Identity

Once Were Warriors > VeggieTales: A Snoodle's Tale

Once Were Warriors > Hairspray Live!

Final spot: #805 out of 3492, or 77%.