Perfect for pride month is this coming out story I reviewed for DVDsnapshot. Also, the occasional glimpses of New Zealand remind me I'd love to travel there one day. It just looks beautiful.
Official Synopsis:
When successful businessman Kawa
(Calvin Tuteao, Once Were Warriors)
finds the courage to tell his wife and kids, his parents and his
traditional Maori community that he's gay, the struggle he endures is
not an easy one. A powerful coming out movie, Kawa
is a gorgeously cinematic drama that tells the transcendent tale of
bravery, love, family and pride.
Our Take:
Witi Ihimaera's
semi-autobiographical 1995 novel “Nights in the Gardens of Spain”
reflected his experiences coming out as gay in 1984. This is worth
nothing in regards to Kawa, the filmed version, because the
supporting characters' reactions to it seem outdated and melodramatic
in 2010.
When the story
starts, Kawa has already begun a process of embracing his gay
identity. Devoted to family and obligated by birth to be a leader in
the Maori community, he's rebelling against the life he feels he's
“supposed” to lead. Having moved out, he's also started moving on
from a very confused wife by exploring both bathhouse trysts and
courtship with a local actor. Kawa is keeping a safe foot in his old
life to avoid drama, but slowly self-sabotaging his way out.
