Heeni Collins

Tina the movie is carried by the strength of actor Anapela Polataivao and her love for her Samoan culture and music. Her love of children/young people has been shaken by the loss of her daughter and she struggles to regain it. Tina is an ambitious film, which aims to portray a Samoan woman & Pakeha upper middle class people coming together, but only the Samoan characters really ring true. We don't get enough detail on the Pakeha characters for them to be truly believable. Engari nga mihi nui, well done to director Miki Magasiva for the movie's flow, emotional engagement and humour. xx H