Directed by Tearepa Kahi
Starring Cliff Curtis, Jay Ryan and Manu Bennett

Taking place in serene New Zealand, in the relatively self-sufficient Ngāi Tūhoe community of Rūātoki, national politics of terrorism come into question when a miscommunication, well, several actually, lead to a serious overreaction, abated by terrible relations between the community and armour-clad, men in black.

The entire story can be pretty hard to wrap your head around, I found myself on several occasions succumbing to a deep sigh when the weight of Rūātoki broke my brain and I had to pause in solemn reflection. How could things go so wrong? Every second scene audiences are slammed with an endless barrage of worse news. Much needed rehabilitation time is encountered when Muru shifts the focus, however briefly, to the children stuck in the middle of all of this conflict. We might as well say the nukes are dropping outside while the children are in the proverbial classroom, but take no mind of that… They’re just waiting for the guilt-trip happy meal their parents’ll have to buy them after all these shenanigans subside.

But then there’s that blurry line, on the cusp of adulthood, that confusing age where you still live with your parents but dropped out of school long ago. That’s where we find Rusty, a guy with as much luck as Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The tensions of New Zealand circa 2007, which Muru is based on, offer a cataclysmic event and poor Rusty just has to go along for the ride.

That’s the fate of all locals opposing the men in black, those severely overprepared soldiers, ill-equip for hyper-local community affairs and better suited for war. The build-up leading to several payoffs in this conflict are jaw dropping, living up to the acclaimed New Zealand films of the past. Employing the surrounding forests, rivers and throughout the township, from helicopter to quadbike all angles are covered and that’s a gold star that’s hard to miss when filming in areas like this, but always worth noting and commending.

Muru is a gripping story of victims. Victims of their surrounds, of their ill-luck, of miscommunication, or the victims inside of an overt-police state… Happy endings are hard to come by during its runtime, but humanity shines through when it reminds you of the empathy you might’ve forgotten you had.

Muru is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from October 13th.

Moviedoc thanks Rialto Distribution and Annette Smith: Ned & co for providing a screener link to watch and review this film.

Reviewed by Zak Wheeler for Moviedoc

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