Waru

AroView: An outstanding and confronting film exploring the subject of domestic child abuse in New Zealand.

Eight female Maori directors have each contributed a ten minute vignette, presented as a continuous shot in real time, that unfolds around the tangi (funeral) of a small boy (Waru) who died at the hands of his caregiver. The vignettes are all subtly interlinked and each follow one of eight female Maori lead characters during the same moment in time as they (either directly or thematically) come to terms with Waru’s death and try to find a way forward. In Maori, waru means eight.

“Stands a sturdy testament to the way film can generate resonant art from difficult subject matter. All New Zealanders should see it.” ~ Dominic Corry, N.Z. Herald.