THIS WAS SUCH A DIFFICULT WATCH || ONCE WERE WARRIORS || FIRST TIME WATCHING || Movie Reaction 

Hey everyone! I'm really sorry for all the ugly crying 😭 But more importantly, please take care watching this as the content may be extra difficult for some people 💙 I feel a bit nervous posting this one... a lot of raw emotions. I'll be taking a break from sad movies for a bit so if you have any suggestions for something fun, comment below! If you'd like to watch the full reaction, you can find it on Patreon: Patreon.com/chrissiereacts

38 year old Kiwi man here, I've skimmed through the comments and seen that no one has mentioned that Cliff Curtis who played Uncle Bully initially refused the role and as a humble honest man hated the idea of the role, he took it on to shine a light on what happens in NZ society in certain places but it nearly broke him doing so. so many talented actors in this film and in the next one "What becomes of the broken hearted" I grew up with these films and they have never been an easy watch but they definitely are powerful

Rena Owen should have won awards for her performance in this.

When this was first released in Australia I went and saw it at the movies. It was a full house, Gracie was the spitting image of my bestie, a kiwi. When the final credits rolled no one moved, it was both stunned silence or sobbing, I was ugly sobbing. As we all finally left for the brighter lights of the lobby, still in silence or sniffing back the tears, the light on pretty much everyones face showed both empathy & trauma. Men & women alike were or had been crying and no words spoken till people had made it outside to the pavement. It was surreal.

I saw Rena Owen in a carpark recently she picked something up that had fallen out of my car. I took a moment to thank her for her work in this film and she was as gracious and sweet hearted as you could imagine. One of the great films of all time for me ❤

As a kiwi, who grew up with this film, It’s a super accurate portrayal of what so many people have gone thru and are going thru. It’s eye opening and heart breaking

I watched this as a 12 year old boy. I am 40 now, to this day it's still the heaviest movie I have ever seen.

New Zealander here - we totally understand you crying as it broke all of us too and opened a lot of our eyes to things happening right under our noses - Rena Owen (Beth) gave one of the most harrowing, raw and exceptional performances I've ever seen - and Tem Morrison was also just outstanding. I cried through your reaction to this emotional ride, raw emotion is refreshing!

He joined the gang to find that sense of Whanau(Family) that he never had at home.

In Australia we all grew up with this film. I'm a First Nations Australian and we can relate to our Maori brothas and sistas a lot. I've only watched this movie once because it's too heavy for me but glad folks world wide have come to know it and appreciate it as much as the rest of us have 🖤

Hey, I'm Māori from New Zealand, and I was crying with you, I saw this back when it first came out in the theatre, saw my Mum in Beth Heke, lucky it was dark in the theatre because I was crying through out. It is a movie that is meant to illicit emotional reponses as yours and mine. Great side to my story, I was like Nig Heke, got out of the gang, Married for 26 years, never raised a fist to my wife, angry words between us, usually quickly followed by an apology, but she is so understanding of my background, which helps so much. Your reaction is so expected, and so not apologise for it.

I am a 46 year old Australian man who grew up in this era, My father was Jake the muss and my Uncle was Bully. This movie is a very hard watch for me even as a grown man I also watched it when it came out. It still does illicit very strong emotions and I must admit I did go to some very dark places when I was younger and destroyed a lot of things some of them beautiful things. I never have raised my hand to a woman nor mistreated one and find Bullies trigger a very strong reaction in me. I hunted them for many years. This movie is a very accurate representation of life in Australia and New Zealand back in the 70's/80's/ early 90's. These men and their culture of Alcohol, Bravado and Violence was a stain on our countries. I am sure I have furnished many therapists houses cars schooling and retirement. It took me 15 years to control myself and in that time I too extracted a heavy toll on society. The only positive I take away was that I turned it back on this group off men and ended many of them and their reign of terrors' but not without a heavy toll and price to pay myself. I do not share this to boast but to say for a warrior to burry his sword he must make peace with his past and pick up the plow. I hope no one ever has to live this life of fear pain and suffering but if you have please know you are not alone you are worth more than you know and God loves you very much. God Bless you all and please be kind to each other and plant trees for the next generation to rest under.

It was life back then. Exactly. The parties, fights. Drunkenness. Thefts. Rotorua, kaiangaroa forestry council work, timber mills, roading, rdrainlaying, etc. Work hard, play hard, and party hard. Flying bottles and glasses every Friday and Saturday night. 60s and 70s. This movie is exactly as it was.

In the original book of Once Were Warriors, Uncle Bully did not get his comeuppance and was never found out to do what he did. So glad the movie chose a different route.

Morrison is by far one of the best actors, he played a psychopath as Jake The Muss but is actually one of the nicest blokes you’d ever meet!

The moment the son faces off with the dad is a pretty intense moment. The cub standing up to the lion

I grew up in Otangarei, Whangarei in NZ in the 80's and 90's. My uncle who was the president of the Black Power for that chapter lived on the next street. The parties, the gangs, the fights, the abuse are very real. Seen it with my own eyes. I watched this as an adolescent. It had no affect on me at the time. It was normal. I watched this a few years ago with my wife for the first time since. What a shock! She was so sad and horrified by the lifestyle and so was I. I had somewhat forgotten the impact of this movie. This life. Im married. Have 4 kids and am happy that this does not happen in my house. No alcohol. No wild parties. No gangs. No abuse. ❤️

I remember reading somewhere that Temuera Morrison got depressed following the films success because people kept approaching him and quoting his character. It bothered him that Jake was being perceived as a hero. He's apparently an incredibly gentle man. Props to his acting prowess, switching from charming to psychotic at the drop of a hat, in a captivating and honest portrayal of the volatility and draw of these types of tragic relationships.

A Maori buddy of mine turned me on to this film back when I lived in Hawai’i. I’m still grateful that he did, 25 years later. It’s a DEEPLY moving piece portrayed by a tremendous cast, all of whom turned in stellar performances.

This is how my mum grew up. She made sure it wasn’t around us. Well she did her best 😂. Proud to be Māori and even more proud of our people

Rena Owens portrayal of a mother's grief in this film is so harrowing. It's such a difficult thing to fake. Incredible performance.

I was raised in that exact type of hell in New Zealand. Extreme violence, Parties, rampant Rape, suicide and all types of addiction abuse. Now after a nearly two decade marriage rich in exploration and life lived we now have two young kids, my life now seemingly everything my upbringing was not. I used to be the most proud when I think of this, but now my life has been so different for much longer then those hellish years of an upbringing that I can barely relate to it all now

Your reaction was like mine. I was pregnant when I went to the movies to see this. I would go on to have a girl & I named her Grace. I’ve raised her to be a warrior.

I'm Maori and 48 yrs old. This was so accurate and extremely well made. The main actors actually found it emotionally wrenching during and after filming

This is the best and most authentic reaction anyone has ever done on Once Were Warriors. It really is great to watch someone from another country and culture who can relate to this film. And honestly seeing you cry was truly moving and is what made this video great so don't apologize.

I met "Gracie", years back. She invited me to her 40th Birthday Party, through a mutual friend.. I met her daughter that looks exactly like her in this movie. The most beautiful and amazing souls I have ever met.

It's a horrible reality, never apologize for being a caring person with feelings.

I’m so glad I found your reactions, Chrissie. Just today. I’m a 57 year old Australian, and I remember crying when I first saw this film. After that, I watched it several times and was so impressed by the acting skills of all players. Particularly Rena Owen. To me the original owners (Maori) of Aotearoa are noble people and warriors. I feel ashamed that our aboriginal peoples aren’t given the same opportunities and respect.

I am nearly 50 and I cry every time I see this movie, and even cried with your reaction, for several reasons. This movie is so close to me it's not funny, firstly, it was filmed in the neighborhood I grew up in, South Auckland. I went to the same school as Tu, the kid under the bridge, knew of him as his audition was accidental. Temuera used to do radio with Jay Lagaia who married my english teacher so we would see them both in the school grounds often. So a very personal connection to the cast, and the storyline itself resembled my childhood so scarily accurate, the courthouse Boogie attended was the children's court in Otahuhu, the same courthouse I visited on a few occasions for similar offences, we even had an "uncle bully" well my sister did.....he too suffered a similar fate and got dealt some swift justice by the hands of my brothers. The building they used for the pub is where I get my raw fish from (Toby's) mmmm reka! Thankyou for you raw reaction! No need to apologise for your "ugly" crying, it was beautiful!

There was total silence in the theater at the end of this movie. Nobody said a word until they were outside, and even then, it was hushed conversations

This movie speaks as much to us men about the horrors we have inside us if we dont face our own darkness and force our inner dragon to yield. I am a Maori man, i reject the aggressive abuse and lies my whanau never speak about. I reject that my trauma as a child should be swept under the rug. My grandfather was like this lead character "Jake", my father never recovered from the violence and was never a dad for myself or my brother. This movie is a brutally honest depiction of the universal consequences all families who suffer familial violence endure.

As a New Zealand Indigenous Maori, I too grew up watching my father like this towards myself my siblings and my mother. I'm sure every Maori here would agree with me. Fun fact: these joint 2storey houses were commission housing. They have a mountain top view of Mission Bay stretching out to Rangitoto Island. My Grandfather is the old man blessing the house then gives the oldest brother a Hongi at the end.

In the books it was more about what was going on in Jakes head, it showed him as a man/child instead of the hard man he's portrayed in the movie. Also, in the books people thought it was Jake who raped Grace and he was so drunk he couldn't remember, so even he wasn't sure. In the second book, Jake got his act together, had a job and played rugby. In one game a kid, on other team kept targeting Jake and he couldn't understand why the kid seemed to hate him so much. The kid was Toot, all grown up

Watched this as a young impressionable 13 yr old Māori boy. Unfortunately, like so many of us , this was a familiar life. Angry broken alcoholic father, mother at times barely holding it together. Povity parties, alcohol drugs, violence, abuse and worse.... Watching this reaction 30 yesrs later tears me up. I have teenagers and mokopuna now, japoy to say.. i broke this ugly destructive cycle from the generations before me, and my children and grandchildren will never know this life.

Your reaction is exactly how I feel, and I’m a mid 40’s white Australian man who grew up in a violent house with a drunk and abusive father. You are exactly right, it wasn’t all bad times, we had some really great times. I shudder and cry at all the same parts of this movie that you do. I feel it vividly in my soul. Thanks for posting this to remind me how profoundly accurate and stirring this movie is. Love your content.

43 yo Māori male, my mum left and ironically we moved next door to the actual house. It was refreshing to see someone elses reaction, coz honestly I laughed heaps because my class mates were in it. You have a kind heart

Kiwi here. I've always wondered how someone from another country would react to this movie. I believe Cliff Curtis (Uncle Bully) initially refused the role. Temuera Morrison (Jake) you will recognise. Star Wars/The Mandalorian. He spoke in an interview raising awareness for domestic violence and talked about how him getting into character amd being in this role was terrifying. It fucked him up. I've only watched this movie a handful of time; bawled every damn time...and again watching this The saddest thing is this is still a reality for many around the world. I love the Māori spiritualit depicted in this movie. Its beautiful, and directed in such a way anyone can understand it.

I grew up in Manurewa in the ‘70s and ‘80s. This IS a true depiction of what went on back then in some places. Had friends I slept over and we had to put the kitchen knife through the doorframe so no one could come in when we were asleep. Can still hear the guitars and singing though, that was sweet

I’m always impressed when RU-vidrs react to Once we’re warriors. There’s so many good movies, music etc that the world doesn’t know about from different cultures. Once were warriors is one of the best films ever

NZer here. Unfortunately we have a high rate of domestic violence here and this situation is fairly common. I've watched it a few times but it's always heavy to watch. I love the what I think is a purerehua in the background when the anger starts coming out.

Cliff Curtis, the greatest actor to come out of NZ 🇳🇿

Hello, I'm half Maori, half English. I am 38 years old. I grew up like this in Sydney but worse as my dad was a huge Maori stand-over man and previous to becoming a Christian, he was very violent in Sydney's red Kings Cross. So for me, when you grow up like this especially in the 90s when I was a kid, I thought it was normal as it was normalised to me at a young age. Dad would hit mum, I would go to school, I would cry but the next day was a new day. Obviously, when you grow out of that, you realise it wasn't normal. Now I have PTSD and still get nightmares and have been getting nightmares since my twenties. I look after mum now. We are survivors. God bless, hope your channel blows up.

Rena Owen (Beth) is a beast of an actress

Samoan here. I can honestly say this movie is not for the emotionally or mentally weak. I want to give you credit for watching this movie because it’s not an easy movie to watch for some. I remember watching this for the first time and I don’t get uncomfortable in uncomfortable situations but there was one scene where I did (I won’t say which one). Overall I still have a lot of love and respect for this movie because it highlights most of the things that are swept under the rug with Polynesian families

I have been watching movie reactions for YEARS now and I regularly search for this one but had given up on anyone reacting to it. And look!!! omg

You don't have to say sorry for crying this is one of the hardest films to watch, thank you for being brave and posting this reaction

It's a very famous movie here in NZ. New Zealand is also a very small country, I had a beer with Temuera Morrison 20 years ago. He was sat in a pub by himself. I just went over and said hi. He is a lovely guy. You may have recognized him from all the star wars stuff he does now. Well done. Another tough movie to watch. 👍👍👏

It was like watching again but with new eyes warching with you. Hits just as hard as it did when i was 14. I skipped school to go to the movies to watch this 4 times. Every time people would be in tears. This movie is a true classic now.

I love how before he looks up at uncle bully you can hear the sound of a war weapon our ancestors used in battle that makes a beautiful sound

My mum said this movie made her and her friends laugh when they were teens watching this. She told me it’s all they knew. mum was raised with this lifestyle. It’s not until you’re told “this ain’t normal” that you realise it’s not.

The sequel is actually really good too and hardly anyone reacts to it. Do recommend. I grew up in the same small town where Alan Duff lived when this came out. I never met him but had a lot of classes in HS with his daughter who was super nice and really down to earth considering her dad was one of the most famous people in New Zealand at that time. Rena Owen should have won serious awards for this performance.

Hi there. I'm from New Zealand. Where this movie is from. And I hand on heart believe this is the most important reaction you will ever do. Thank you. This movie changed me on a deep emotional level.

This film explained so much to me as a young woman, it turned my insides out.

A movie that everyone needs to see once in their lives. It will stay with you forever. A super powerful female film. Truly horrific yet strangely hypnotic and charming.

You didn’t say much… but your tears and genuine reactions spoke volumes! Thank you for being so real! This movie “Once Were Warriors” was from my country of New Zealand, but its themes and story is truly international. Jake “The Mus” Heke (Temuera Morrison), played Jango Fett, in Star Wars: Episode II and III, Boba Fett in the Star Wars TV Series The Book of Boba Fett, Jason Momoa’s father in “Aquaman”, and a bunch of other movies, so that’s why he probably looks familiar.

Ironically in Australia the dad in this was on playschool he's an awesome gentle wonderful guy, the reunion video is lovely ❤.

I am a 43 year old man and I teared up many times during this movie when I saw this as a kid and cried again when I saw it as an adult. How could you not? I'm a man, not a machine. Bravo to the performances. A1

Thanks for taking the time to watch this masterpiece. Don't worry about the crying. We cry when we watch it too.

Will never forget seeing this in Sydney when it first came out (I was in my early 20's) , absolutely brutal. The film makers/actors did an incredible job of creating something that was instantly recognisable as virtually more of a documentary than a piece of fiction.

As a Māori from this culture now 33 years old I can relate to this movie it was common at the time of that era for us as kids. Some of us made it and a lot of us didn’t. Thanks for taking the time out to watch it and understand once was our culture💙

In New Zealand we watched this as kids. What makes it a hard hitting movie is it is a reality to so many. 😢

This movie changed the world... actually it's not a movie it's a documentary 😢 it's just how it was in those times ... real eye opener

I’m a kiwi and I just want to say Thankyou for reacting to this. It’s a hard movie for sure but very relatable for us.

Loved your reaction! Watching along, knowing the film already, seeing you put the pieces together in real time was fun, for lack of a better word. Beautiful film! ❤

There is a part 2 to this. Is called, What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted. Its not got quite the same impact. But its still worth a watch ✌️

As somebody who grew up in New Zealand with VERY similar things in this movie, i have a love/hate relationship with this movie. I hate it because it brings back so much unwanted memories but i love it because its powerful, it exposes the issues we have but most of all i love it because it makes me realise that i broke the cycle and im giving my kids better. This was made years ago but the issues in this are still around, unfortunately. Thank you for reacting to it ❤🤍🖤

No matter how many times I watch this, I get very emotional. I'm from NZ and so proud of the filmmakers and most of all! The actor's and actresses for bringing this film to life, in such a relatable way!! It's such a moving film and is one of our finest!. Wish it wasn't a reality to real life but unfortunately it is a true depiction of some family life here and all over the world!!

A beautifully tragic story, as a Kiwi from NZ thank you for taking the time to react to this and share your vulnerability throughout it. The tears were a universal reaction.

im from new zealand, despite the harshness of the content we are proud of the movie itself, family violence wasn't really talked about in the open back then, its better now, not gone, but better, i first saw this movie when it came out in theaters,i was 13 years old, i used to stop off on my way home from school on friday nights and go to the movies by myself, there was nothing really that interested me that day but i saw the title and thought it was about war so i went in.. man was it educating

Chrissie, there are no words that can adequately describe this movie. It is such a visceral story. Thirty years after first seeing it, and having watched it multiple times over the intervening years, it is still the most brutal movie I have ever watched, and still one of the greatest. I am a 59 year old 6'5" sailor and it still moves me to tears all these years later. There is no other way for a normal person to react to this movie. It is scary. It is happening today in homes throughout the world, under the veneer of civilisation and that is what makes it terrifying. Thanks you so much for such an honest reaction. I, and I am sure all your viewers would agree, that it was the right way to react. As for why Temaura Morrison may seem familiar, especially if you have never seen Star Wars is he is Aquaman's father if you have watched that.

Thank you for taking the time to watch this. This is a huge representation for some of our whanau here, more than some like to admit it. I remember watching this as a kid and I think we watched it in our socials class too.

I lived round the corner from where the pub scenes were filmed. Was great meeting all the cast. Always had time for us.

Shout out to Cliff Curtis for an excellent job on a character who could never be loved.

I grew up in south Auckland and this movie is so palpable and raw! A reflection of our reality

I’m new to the channel and I was born and raised in NZ. I think that you did a great job with the reaction, editing, commentary and etc. All things considered, you’ve served your community content and quality content at that! Thank you for sharing an experience of yours with us.

Australian here Big shout out to my kiwi brothers and sisters Awesome movie Lots of love and respect from Australia 🇦🇺

Im proud to be a Kiwi 🇳🇿 this is a raw look into life nobody wants to see but all know is there.

Cliff Curtis went into Hollywood after this - often (because of his looks) playing Hispanic characters, such as in "Training Day", or other assortments such as Sheikh Fadlallah in "The Insider" (also with Russell Crowe), and FBI Agent in "Live Free or Die Hard", and another Hispanic role in "Colombiana" starring Zoe Saldaña

My cousin and I spent the first 20 mins in the theatre watching this with our hands over our eyes and only peeking through our fingers. We left after that and have never watched the movie since. Thanks for culling it for us, it was too hard to watch in full.

I've watched this movie so many times and still hits me the same as did the first time I saw it in 1997. I cried along with you and your reaction Chrissi, It's personal for me in many ways and sure hits the heart everytime

Domestic violence has increased and so has the death rate in AUST and NZ alone This movie is so accurate it hurts

It was extremely hard for those that grew up in that environment. I remember watching this and having the same feelings i did as a kid. PTSD. I grew up angry, but found an amazing women that loved all the anger and hurt away. I'm super protective of my children and grandchildren.

I was in tears, watching you in tears, watching this movie, I could see in my minds eye, what scene was playing just by looking at the expressions on your face, some of the scenes are so incredibly powerful, that I'm sure that this movie will stand the test of time, which by your reaction, it has, thank you for such a wonderful and AUTHENTIC response ❤️

I'd like to congratulate you on a magnificent review. As an Aussie, I've seen this film alot. It was a movie that you have to let roll along, and your reactions and editing were brilliant , and told the story. Well done. Your reactions on RU-vid are the best on this platform by far.

The song the family sings in the car, "What's the time Mr Wolf" is based on a schoolyard game we used to play when I was a kid. Memory's a little fuzzy (> 50 years ago!), but it involved one person standing with their back to the other kids some distance away. They creep up and call out "What's the time Mr Wolf?" Each time, Mr Wolf has to call out a time from 1 o'clock to 12 o'clock. The idea is to get close enough to tag Mr Wolf before he calls out 12 o'clock and turns around and 'catches' someone.

i'm surprised this movie doesn't get reacted to more. it's such a powerful film. i've seen this dozens of times and i have tears in my eyes almost from the start every time - as a kiwi growing up in state housing, experiencing domestic violence as a child, i feel this film to my very core. but it's also a nice window to some aspects of Maori culture. many channels react to the Haka being performed at sporting events but watching Boog learning and performing gives added weight and context to such a significant cultural element. great reaction.

I went to the local theatre to watch it, you might have been shocked to hear so many giggles and laughter throughout the movie, being so familiar to the majority of the crowd.

Another one that stayed for a long time. I was working in a theatre in Liverpool, England... And a guy from the Bronx had come over to act in a few plays throughout the UK. He wanted to see it, so we saw it. We both sat there in an almost reverential stupour at the end. Very powerful film - not for the faint of heart. Thanks for your raw reaction, Chrissie.

Man I've watched this firm for over 20 years and watching your reaction to this movie has made me very emotional. Thank you for understanding how we as Maori (some) have lived lives similar to this movie.

Props on getting through this one. Still hits just as hard now in my 40's as it did back when I saw it in my teens, actually brings tears to my eyes.

Most powerful movie ever. E.G. the scene of the kids holding each other while listening to Jake beating Beth. That scene has been done in a hundred movies but none has ever had that much meaning. POWERFUL. I have seen the movie so often I can almost lip-sync it. My favourite part, you didn't let me down, is when Beth is reading Grace's book and you see the look on people's face when they realise

I remember when this film came out. So many great lines out of it . I was a soldier in the army at the time. During down time (of which there was plenty) we amused ourselves repeating the numerous classic lines like ‘hear that brothers - he wants a patch’. Funny times

Born and raised in south auckland, otara i still remember when they were filming the intro at the shopping centre i always use to get free seafood from where jake was eating those mussels. Some great memories and some not so much. The house was just up from my friends where they filmed also. Growing up in the 80s, 90s this was a sad reality in some households whether you were maori or pacific islanders but we learn to live and we grow. It sure was a tough time but SA otara was and will always be my home. This film put us on the map in many ways. It sheds light on family resilience, cultural identity, and the struggle against domestic violence. But there is hope.🤙🏾

Thank you for your review. As a young māori boy in the early 60s, I grew up in a similar environment in NZ. My father was the same as Jake extremely violent, and I witnessed my poor mother on numerous occasions get beaten like Beth. I am now 64yrs and every time I see this movie the scars of my childhood still haunt me today.

Subbed after watching your Chopper React. This one was awesome also, crying along with you. You Rock!

This is the closest i’ve gotten to watching this again. i still battle within myself, but for the love of my children and my beautiful wife, i never stopped seeking help. I cant count how many different people i went to seeking help, Some worked some didn’t but i never stopped, this life was somethin i endured but would never pass this on to mine. The chains remain but they are broken on the floor. Only now i can say i did it for myself as well. and after your reaction i think it’s time to sweep those chains away. Thanks for your reaction. There was healing for me in this. 🙇🏽🙇🏽 Thank you sister.

I'm from New Zealand and I remember watching this at the movies. This life was real for some of my friends but this kind of life isn't only in our country its around the world. It opened up alot of wounds and for me I'm glad it did because it gave people an insight into what really goes on behind closed doors and showed alot of people that there is hope.

Keep the banger Australian and New Zealand flicks coming

Watched this back when it was first released on video. I've always been grateful that Inwatched it on video, at home by myself sobbing. Havent been able to watch it again since. I know its amazing, but it is so real its heartbreaking and I cannot handle.

I grew up with this movie, have seen it many times and without fail I cry every time. Such a roller-coaster of emotions. I cried with you every time. In time, you should watch the sequel, 'What becomes of the broken hearted'.