Tinā
“What’s a parent without their kids?”
Mareta (Anapela Polataivao) is grieving the loss of her daughter who tragically lost her life during the Christchurch, New Zealand quakes of 2011. Unsure what her future holds for her now, Mareta receives help from Sio (Beulah Koale) who helps her file for unemployment. When that runs out, his next step is to help her land an interview for a teaching position at an elite school attended mostly by Pākehās (non-Polynesian New Zealanders). Mareta is an imposing woman with a heart of gold. She dons her native Samoan garb, standing out from the rest of the teachers at the school, and is affectionately called Tinā (Samoan term for mother). Mareta soon bonds with Sophie (Antonia Robinson), a talented young singer who is dealing with an alcoholic mother and the physical and emotional scars from a terrible accident. Their mutual interest in music eventually sparks an idea. Mareta will lead the school’s very first choir. It’s a rough start but once the students learn to appreciate Mareta’s tough love approach the choir becomes something extraordinary. As the choir group prepare for a singing competition, looming villains and tragic news threaten the disrupt the beautiful harmony.
Directed by Miki Magasiva, Tinā film hits all the right notes and deserves to be up there with feel good stories about teachers like Dead Poets Society (1989) and Radical (2023). It will send you on an emotional rollercoaster and by the end you’ll find yourself sobbing into a fistful of tissues. While the story is rather sentimental and almost veers towards cloying, it ultimately finds a balance especially when punctuated with its musical sequences. I really enjoyed the performance by Polataivao who gives her character a sense of mystery and charm.
Tinā is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Tinā is distributed by Rialto and hits theaters in select markets (Hawaii, American Samoa and Guam) August 29th and nationwide on September 5th.
