What Becomes of the Broken Hearted


Mark Derby and Michael Lamb May 1999 Reviews




"No matter how often the producers say it's not a sequel, drawing comparisons with the phenomenal Warriors is unavoidable, and rewarding. The new film has a little less of the ad-director's gloss, more of Ian Mune's attention to the detail of character and location, and Alan Duff's script pounds home his views on child- rearing [...] After an explosive opening, Duff's script gets a bit lost in the bush, and it ends with an abruptness which looks like directorial desperation, but, overall, the gamble pays off. This film may not have the overseas success of its illustrious forerunner, but it should mean much more to us locals" - (Mark Derby, "The warrior strikes back", City Voice, May 27,1999)


"If nothing else Broken Hearted proves the territory it covers still needs our care and attention as much today as it did when Warriors came out. In a country where the closest we usually get to airing our dirty laundry is after an All Black loss, the jolt is needed. It just comes as a bit of a shock to be rummaging through the bleakest corners of our culture in a cinema" - (Michael Lamb, "Sadness heart of sequel", Sunday Star Times, May 23, 1999)


"Temuera Morrison resurrects his role from the critically acclaimed New Zealand film Once Were Warriors in the equally thought-provoking sequel What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted?, TV3, Sunday, August 12 at 8.30pm. Morrison plays Jake 'The Muss' Heke, a man with an explosive temper who seeks solace in the bottom of a beer bottle. After his long-suffering wife Beth (Rena Owen) leaves him to seek a life beyond domestic violence and uncertainty, Jake turns his back on his family. Little does he realise as he picks another bar fight that his eldest son Nig (Julian Arahanga), is dying in a gang battle. At the funeral, the uncomfortable family reunion sparks a confrontation which sends Jake on a further downward spiral. Ultimately, Jake turns his rage and frustration inward, a cowering, shattered figure of a fallen giant. There is nowhere left for him to go. The realisation dawns on him that he must mend his ways and salvage what he can of his humanity before the remaining fragments of his family are lost to him forever. Written by acclaimed New Zealand author Alan Duff, What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted? features a stellar line-up of this country's finest acting talent including Nancy Brunning 'Fish Skin Suit, Shortland Street' and Pete Smith 'The Piano'. Be watching TV3, Sunday, August 12 at 8.30pm for one of the most moving and profound films ever produced in New Zealand when What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted? screens." - (from the TV Three Publicity Press Kit)








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