The Strength Of Water

Synopsis: In an isolated Maori community, ten-year-old twins Kimi (Hato Paparoa) and Melody (Melanie Mayall Nahi) lead happy lives, delivering eggs for their parents and playing with their pet hen. With the arrival of a stranger, Tai (Isaac Barber) a terrible incident occurs. The community turns on Tai, while Kimi alternately acts out his grief and loneliness in angry and destructive ways whilst communing with his dead twin, who only he can see.

Over the years, New Zealand has come up with some fine small films that leave a strong impression. The Strength Of Water is yet another. Though there is a rawness to the film there is also a muted beauty and sadness to the characters and an emotional truthfulness that is very touching. Using first-time actors to play the children is what brings this level of truthfulness to the story. Their energy and exuberance is strong in the early part of the film, and while young Kimi is not always a likeable boy, we feel his pain strongly as we do Melody’s quiet spirituality.

Like other films which depict Maori men such as Once Were Warriors, Armagan Ballantyne’s film does not paint an appealing portrait of the men of this land. Many of them are aggressive and quick to fight, with the exception of the enigmatic Tai, who is obviously on the run from something but has a softer spirit than those around him. Kimi is no doubt headed to be exactly this kind of male, as he defies his gentle mother, Joy (Nancy Brunning), and his concerned-but -distant father Gibby (Jim Moriarty). The women embody the softer side of life, especially local beauty Tirea (Pare Paseka) who is seen by Kimi and Tai as a kindred spirit.

The film gives us a wonderful insight into the cultural side of Maori life, with rites and traditions featuring large. It also seems to dig deep into daily existence, with the palpable sense of community spirit and bonding that surmounts the obvious struggle endured by the hard-working people in their modest lives. At times the references to Maori culture, of which I have no knowledge, made things a little hard to follow and perhaps this diminished my appreciation of the story.

Visually and symbolically The Strength Of Water gives audiences much to both enjoy and ponder. Shot mainly in a wild area in the far north of the country, Nature features very strongly throughout, from beautiful wild ocean scenes, with rugged cliffs and sweeping farmlands to the use of jellyfish as a recurring motif. Much of the visuals focus on things not normally thought beautiful –  such as chickens in their sheds and old rusting cars and yet there is a level of beauty in the everyday. Accompanying the beautiful cinematography is an equally impressive soundtrack.

Like many films which deal with loss, The Strength Of Water explores more than just its surface narrative and yet, whilst it does include elements which could be interpreted as mystical or supernatural, they still sit comfortably within the very practical framework in which the story sits. At the end I found myself wanting a little more, maybe a bit more back-story for Tai, perhaps more of the parents, and yet, overall, the emotion this small film conveyed was satisfyingly larger than its actual scale. 

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