Tinâ

This brought back so many memories and emotions from such a painful time. There's a particular weight that comes with stories rooted in real-life trauma, especially when they hit so close to home. For many of us who lived through the Christchurch earthquakes, whether directly or indirectly, the memory of that time is etched into our bones. This film doesn't shy away from that reality - instead, it embraces the pain and the beauty in what followed: the resilience and the community connection and support. What truly stood out for me, though, was the direction. This is a great debut from Samoan director Miki Magasiva. There's something incredibly special about seeing Pasifika voices take the lead in telling stories of Aotearoa, especially when it's done with such maturity, sensitivity, and visual storytelling skill. Magasiva's direction is confident and deliberate. He lets the silences speak, gives the actors room to breathe, and allows the emotional impact to build naturally. Thank you to the beautiful cast and crew for bringing this story to life. Thank you, Miki Magasiva, for stepping into the spotlight with such a strong, moving debut. And thank you for making space for our stories, our pain, and our hope to be seen and honoured.

This film was a tear jerker and absolutely hilarious. You'd go from having cramps from belly laughs to sobbing and blowing your nose into the serviettes you got for your oily popcorn hands. So inspiring and full of talent! Also recognised that parts were shot at my high school so it was so nostalgic.

The acting was awesome but the COMPOSITIONS??? PHENOMENAL!!!

Loved the local talent that was showcased in this film & loved the dedication to Pua.

This film is honestly so deep and profound and touched on so many issues. You'd be silly to miss watching this one. It's worth all the hype and the wait.

Amazing! Just amazing. So, so proud.

We saw this movie today. We lost our home to the same earthquake and so we were bound to be affected. This film touches so many sensitive areas but in a peaceful and loving manner. When there is so much anger around it is good to be touched by the emotions born of caring for each other. This film has been made with love for humanity, but it shows a way back for all people to be able to put aside their differences and find that common thread. It shows that the poor can help the wealthy to overcome their difficulties and their grief. This was the most emotional film we have seen in a very long while. This film makes one proud to be a person from the Pacific. I can only recommend this film.

I was overwhelmed by Tina, it's depth, meaning and powerful performances. It's realism captures you from the start, we see a simple woman with a big heart who has seen so much loss in her life turn things around and move mountains when she takes up her new role in the school.

I found myself getting emotional a few times with the emotional rollercoaster we were taken on and how Tina connected with her students and gave them so much in a cold and sometimes ignorant world. I loved Tina's character of a person who called a spade a spade and called out bad behaviour as she saw it. She was real and you got the real thing with her. The final scene really got me as you could see the emotion shining through the students as they gave such a moving performance. This has to be one of the best NZ films I have seen and the best film I've seen so far this year, exceeded expectations.

This original and extremely moving story is set three years after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake when 185 people lost their lives. Tina, a teacher originally from Samoa, is traumatised after her daughter is killed in the earthquake. She is eventually persuaded back into employment, this time at an exclusive, and elite conservative private school. This is a major shift from her previous teaching post where she worked with underprivileged children. The movie explores themes of loss, resilience, race and culture. The sports/rugby culture vs the music/choir culture was a little formulaic, especially the typecast bully of a rugby coach. Aside from that small niggle, the film had plenty of laughs, but we also cried. The music was amazing. Here in New Zealand we are blessed with an internationally acclaimed reputation for choral excellence, and this was superbly showcased.