La tribu

I happened upon this Kiwi gem one lonely night while flipping through my new digital cable. It's basically a teenage soap opera set some years after a virus has wiped out the adult population. Following a small group (or "tribe") of kids who live in an abandoned shopping mall, the show is deceptively simple and silly. It is, in fact, epic in scope and deep in emotion. It even throws in the occasional religious allegory for good measure. Like all soap operas, the dialogue can be trite and the stories melodramatic and overly concerned with sex (yes, teen sex), but it is also one of the most addictive television shows I've ever encountered, capable of being funny, poignant, gut-wrenching and thought-provoking all at the same time. With, I might add, more inventive hairstyles, makeup and costumes than any you'll see on American television.

Talk about original. This show is available in very few countries, but it really is a gem. Not only does it deal with just about every issue under the sun (illness, death, heartbreak and teen pregnancy), combining it with wacky costumes, hairstyles, make-up, names you wish you had and some of the best talent New Zealand has to offer. There should be more shows like this on TV.

If I started watching this show today, as an adult, I would most likely consider it total trash. The acting is incredibly hard to bear at times (there are a few exceptions of course, but most of the actors could have used some serious acting classes); costumes, hair and make-up are insane (for lack of a better word); the music borders on annoying and the plot holes are big enough to swallow a fully grown person. Thankfully, there aren't any of those left in the world of The Tribe.

Eight-year-old me however could not have cared any less about all this. The show is a part of my childhood that still gives me this weirdly fuzzy, nostalgic feeling to this day. I remember re-enacting the show on the schoolyard with my friends and always being excited to come home after school to watch the latest episode. So, try as I might, I cannot bring myself to rate this any lower than 8/10. Doing so would be a betrayal of all these great memories I associate with The Tribe. This is eight-year-old me taking a stand.

About a year ago I switched to digital cable, with it came about 200 new channels. About a week later I ran into this odd looking show that had teenage kids in weird clothing and tattoos on their faces. I honestly didn't know what to think about the show, but after the first several episodes I was hooked (I started around the middle of the 3rd season) I have seen only the 3rd and 4th seasons, or series as they are called and I am addicted. I won't go as far as painting my face for em but I've considered it once or twice.

The thing that amazes me is that Cloud 9, the production group that makes The Tribe isn't the most well funded film company in the world. But they have used every last dollar (or whatever currency is used in New Zealand) they have to make this show so good. The cast (which most have appeared on Hercules and Xena, as well as the Power Rangers)is talented enough to give their character's personality. The sets are believable, the outfits are are amazing, and the fact that most of the actors are dulling down their heavy Aussie accents is impressive enough.

For those that haven't seen the show before are best to look at it like a Live Action Anime, not the ultra Kung-Fu kind, but the soap opera kind (Ranma,Chobits,etc.) It's a good show that pretty much makes gold from the budget of straw that they have. 10/10

This is a fascinating look into a world where all the adults have died from a mysterious virus, and the kids are left to fend for themselves. The remaining teens and pre-teens have formed tribes in order to survive. They must forage for whatever food and medicine they can find, and form new relationships both for protection and companionship. The Tribe focuses on a group that has settled in the local mall, and have come to call themselves the "Mall Rats". They hide out in the mall, hoping to avoid the violence of the other tribes such as the Demon Dogs, and the Locusts. Eventually their dream of building a new world where the tribes can work together in peace, force them out of the safety of their hiding place.

For being a such a futuristic sort of show, The Tribe is surprisingly able to address current issues that face today's young people. Bulimia, teen pregnancy, peer pressure, and alcoholism are all subjects that some of the characters of this new world must face.

The Tribe is extremely well done. The story is fascinating, the acting is first rate, and the young cast is destined for great things. I fell in love with The Tribe from the very first episode, and it continues to get better and better.