Waru

Using as its departure point the tangi (funeral) of the small boy, the film takes the perspectives of eight different women, all of whom are connected in varying degrees to Waru's family and community. Each vignette has a remarkable feeling of immediacy; taken together, the films affect like a thunderclap. A Pandora's box of difficult questions - around responsibility, guilt, shame, and poverty - is opened. These stories do not only dwell in the dark moments, however. From the schoolroom to the community kitchen to a television studio, humour, warmth, pride, and courage provide textured insight into a complex society. (Toronto International Film Festival)