TINA Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Miki Magasiva
Stars: Anapela Polataivao, Antonia Robinson, Beulah Koale, Dalip Sondhi, Jeremy Irvine, Nicole Whippy, Zac O’Meagher, Alison Bruce, Talia Pua, Tania Nolan.
From New Zealand comes this uplifting and moving tearjerker and classic underdog story about an inspiring teacher who makes a difference in the lives of her students with their unusual methods. It also explores the power of music to be a healing force. The film, which seems loosely based on a true story, combines elements of Mr Holland’s Opus, School Of Rock and Dead Poets Society.
Mareta Percival (a majestic performance from veteran Samoan actress Anapela Polataivao, from the comedy The Breaker Upperers, etc) is a music teacher dedicated to her students. But when her daughter is killed in the devastating 2011 earthquake that struck Christchurch, she withdraws from the world. After a couple of years though she is informed by her nephew and social worker Sio (Beulah Koale, from the revamped Hawaii Five-O, etc) that if she fails to make an effort to find work she will be cut off from her social security payments. She answers an advertisement for a substitute teaching position at St Francis, an elite private school. Mareta merely goes through the motions as she doesn’t really expect to be appointed.
But Alan (Dalip Sondhi, from Runt, etc) the retiring principal, sees Mareta sit and talk with Sophie (Antonia Robinson, from tv series Mystic, making her film debut here), one of the students, while playing the playground piano and convinces the school board to give her a chance. He believes that she has “something” to offer the students.
Initially Mareta struggles to connect with her students. She decides to start a school choir, an idea that initially meets some opposition from the condescending Peter Wadsworth (Jamie Irvine, from Shortland Street, etc), the ambitious assistant principal, who tries to undermine her efforts.
Mareta also recognises that Sophie has talent and encourages her to participate in the choir. The talented but troubled Sophie is suffering as the result of an accident that mangled her left arm, and she lacks confidence. Mareta prepares her students to participate in a choral competition. She uses her strong personality and her culture to empower her students. Along the way she also rediscovers her love of teaching.
Tina has been written by Miki Magasiva (We Are Still Here, etc) and Mario Gaoa (Uproar, etc) and it explores themes of grief, suicide, illness, faith, the clash of cultures. Tina is a deeply personal film for Magasiva, who makes his directorial debut here. His approach is light despite some serious subject matter and his handling of the material is sympathetic, compassionate and warm. He also injects welcome touches of humour into the material. But while the narrative trajectory seems a little familiar through the usual inspiring high school drama and many events threaten Mareta and the choir, there is no doubting that the film hits the right note.
Cinematographer Andrew McGeorge has done a good job with the visuals. And the choral music itself is sublime.
The film’s title means “mother” in Samoan, and Mareta does exude a maternal and sympathetic quality. The veteran Polataivao brings a no-nonsense style and attitude to her strong and compassionate performance as the colourfully dressed and blunt Mareta, but she suffuses her with a hint of vulnerability and underlying grief. She has a commanding screen presence. Robinson is also good as the emotionally damaged Sophie who carries her scars on the outside. The prickly, crackling dynamic between the pair carries much of the film’s the emotional heft. Sondhi brings a quiet authority to his performance as the supportive Alan. Most of the remaining choir students remain underdeveloped.
Tina is a crowd-pleasing drama and a fine addition to that canon of films featuring an inspirational teacher who makes a difference.
★★★★
