Cohen Holloway, Miriama Smith, Cian Elyse White and Hariata Moriarty star in Cousins. In cinemas now.
The very different lives of three Māori women play out non-linearly in this important and impactful adaptation of Patricia Grace's 1992 novel.
Jumping around between multiple time periods, with three actors portraying each character, Cousins tells the story of Makareta, Mata and Missy.
Makareta (played in contemporary scenes by Briar
Grace-Smith, who co-directed the film alongside Ainsley Gardner, heretofore best known for producing Taika Waititi's early films) describes herself at one point as "the spoiled one" but has led a life of self-determination and activism following a childhood as the princess of the family.
Facing the twilight of her days, Makareta is trying to track down lost cousin Mata (Tanea Heke, who made a strong impression in 2017's Waru), who is now homeless on the streets of Wellington after a life marked by tragedy and (unspecified) mental illness. Orphaned in the years following World War II, Mata spends one memorable holiday with her cousins as a child, but grows up in a group home where the matron selfishly prevents her from going back to her whānau.
Then there's the feisty Missy (played as an adult by national treasure Rachel House), who has remained on the family farm as its guardian and is fighting off government encroachment.
