No. 2

Aroview: Playwright Toa Fraser adapts his acclaimed stage play about a hard-bitten matriarch determined to bring her grandchildren together for a traditional Fijian feast in homey Mt Roskill, Auckland.

A notable addition to the growing canon of ‘South Pacific’ cinema, its big-hearted portrayal of a common ethnic experience in suburbia is sure to connect strongly for some. But the inherent comedy and drama in such extended family dynamics are surprisingly muted, and we are left instead to feast on the aesthetic qualities of the radiant cast and cinematography, and a message as somewhat heavy-handed as the matriarch herself (played by American veteran, Ruby Dee).