Die letzte Kriegerin

Die letzte Kriegerin ist ein harter Blick in das Peripherie-Leben einer Familie, die aus sozialer Sicht leidet und von Gewalt umgeben ist. Das Leiden der reinsten und besten Figuren muss hier mit dem Tod enden. Nur so öffnen sich die Augen der anderen und sie werden dazu gezwungen, wichtige Lebensentscheidungen zu treffen. Ein sehr gut gespieltes Drama mit einer hochwertigen Regie. Nach dem Film werden Sie den Eindruck haben, dass Ihr Leben ein märchenhaftes Träumen in den Wolken ist. Die depressive Atmosphäre und das Gefühl der Hilflosigkeit betont Lee Tamahori durch ein düsteres Dröhnen im Hintergrund und durch die Unteransicht der Kamera, wenn auf das Publikum der ganze psychische Terror so intensiv wie auf die leidenden Protagonisten strömt (die Szene mit dem Zerreißen des Tagebuchs kurz vor der Schlüsselszene des Films). Obwohl der Film viele positive Aspekte hat und die künstlerischen Ambitionen beachtlich erfüllt wurden, fand ich die Handlung ein wenig absurd. Das, was woanders die erste wichtigere Wendung eines inhaltsreichen Films wäre, ist hier – nach 100 langwierigen Minuten – das Finale. Wenn ich aber in ähnlich hoffnungslosen und unfreien Bedingungen wie die Hauptprotagonisten leben würde, würde dieses Gefühl der Absurdität schnell verschwinden und es käme eine schmerzhafte Identifizierung mit der Realität. Dieser Film wäre für mich eine Lebensinspiration. (05.08.2002)

Tamahori's directorial debut, exploring the nature of (in)human brutality and instinctive primitivism, may indeed portray the indigenous people without unnecessary embellishment, as well as avoiding total demonization, but it certainly doesn’t deliver a comprehensive picture. The blood of the slaves in a fistfight with the "warriors" may hold up, but a more skillful mix of characters would have helped, given that a confrontation at the level of spouses, where there is clearly a "caste" of the ruling man and woman in the position of near-slave, could have done without the analysis of the relationships inherited from the ancestors. Fortunately, Tamahori makes up for this with an unvarnished view of the offspring, who form the only common element in this unequal relationship. Therefore, the greatest strength of the film lies not in the barroom brawls of hot heads and big muscles but is brought out most wonderfully in the scene of the family outing, when the mother recounts to the children meeting their father and the subsequent aftermath, and especially the utterly emotionally overwhelming impact that is initiated by the tree with the swing. This is the strongest and most important thing the film has to offer. Together they resolve nothing and the "cathartic" conclusion deserves a longer discussion. However, the feeling that "this is how things work in some places, not only on the other side of our planet" is more than unpleasant. (17.09.2006)

A very stark film about the Maori people, who in the civilized world only remember how they were a nation of proud warriors. Some have not lost their pride, inherited from their ancestors to this day, others drown their frustrations in alcohol. The performances are brilliant, especially Temuera Morrison's as the neurotic drunk and bully, when I first saw him I thought, "Oh my God, where did they get this nutter? He can't possibly be an actor!" The whole film gives the viewer a feeling of incredible authenticity, and it opened Lee Tamahori the doors to Hollywood. (04.01.2003)

Cruel reality, without exaggerations, diversions, American pathos or making heroes out of people who simply aren't. On a spiritual level, an incredibly powerful and heavy film that throws you into a depression not by a false pressure or the depiction of physical suffering, but simply by the fact that you believe everything that happens in it, every tear, wound, scream, and twist. The basic story and the conspicuous tediousness of some scenes prevent me from appreciating it sufficiently in terms of cinematic art, but that was not the point here. This is mostly about breathtaking performances, about the human conscience and about the slums of New Zealand, where I don't think anyone would want to grow up. Hats off. 85% (30.09.2013)