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Turn the River
In 1860s New Zealand a young woman finds herself caught in the conflict between Maori tribes and the British army as she goes in search of her half-native son. Samantha Morton stars
Samantha Morton is Sarah O'Brien, a feisty Irish lass living amongst soldiers, settlers and Maori in the dense New Zealand forest. After a brief slow-motion dalliance with a handsome Maori boy she falls pregnant and defies her father by keeping the child, only to lose him six years later to Maori raiders led by the boy's grandfather. Distraught at her loss, Sarah sets out on a seven year search for the child, trailing his father's tribe in a desperate attempt to find him and take him back to 'civilisation'. By the time she finds him he has formed his own strong Maori identity and instead of being able to take him away Sarah is drawn into the Maori way of life and becomes involved with Wiremu (Curtis), the boy's uncle and her original lover's brother. It's a turbulent time of treachery and politics, and Sarah's travels between the warring sides reveal the similarities as well as the differences between them. River Queen largely fails to capture the subtleties inherent in these shifting allegiances and forbidden relationships. Writer-director Vincent Ward paints the action in the broadest brush strokes: slow-motion sequences are used to imply poignancy, while Sarah's voiceover fills in the gaps to tell the audience that she is about to fall in love with one man or that she can never truly love another. Dream sequences are intended to add extra depth to the action and the refrain from 'Danny Boy' plays wistfully at key moments as characters stare meaningfully into space, but the overall effect is one of superficial mewling rather than genuine turmoil. There's little to offer on an emotional level, and while the action sequences are packed with musket cracks and flying earth, the details are ignored. For example, we are told that Maori men join the ranks of the British Army because they feel it is their best chance of freedom, but then they switch sides and desert without any apparent reason or repercussions. Similarly, the strategic importance of battles is only sketchily drawn, so we're left unsure as to the consequences of the various skirmishes. Against the dramatic background of New Zealand's wild rivers and dark forests Kiefer Sutherland and Morton lose some of their shine, both of them encumbered by their clunky Irish accents. Cliff Curtis does better as the brave and noble Wiremu, while Rawiri Pene as Sarah's estranged son brings much-needed energy to proceedings. Verdict New Zealand's breathtaking countryside steals the show in this otherwise turgid and confusing piece of historical posturing. |
