Mercenário

I use a title for my comment in a sort of tribute to Lee Tamahori's best picture : ONCE WERE WARRIORS which has nothing to do with this movie story, except the tale of characters, natives from Southern Hemisphere, men connected with the Haka philosophy and spirituality. But I admit that both films have nothing in common concerning the topics. Nothing at all. And characters have nothing in common about their behaviour with women in particular, although they are both warriors, who would have been perfect in the All Black New Zealand rugby team. That said, this film I comment now is a powerful and so poignant feature that made me weep at several moments. The female lead looks very like Lea Seydoux, the face not the body, too chubby. Yes, that's the kind of film which can attract much audience even with no media support. I highly recommend it.

The film by Sacha Wolff is a welcome story of a man from French territory New Caledonia going to France to fulfill his rugby dreams. I am skeptical about how well New Caledonia and the family relations and culture there are represented, and I honestly need a little more information to really have a final say about that. However, lead Toki Pilioko is a real talent. He carries the film firmly on his shoulders and is a great actor. The colors and lighting are also beautiful in this film. I'm glad this is not one of those overdone tales of a single person of color amidst a crowd of white foreigners, and also that this film doesn't take the also overdone tragic ending.

Beautiful film, based on the life of player Soane Tonga'uiha, I love these sweet overcoming films, they make our hearts tight and warm when against everything and everyone, they overcome themselves, beautiful photography, everything very pleasant...

Actually watched all the way through, but there were a ton of plot holes that made me scratch my head. Soane is sent to France by Abraham because he thinks he could be a big rugby star, but the deal is that he gets 10% of his salary. He gets to France but is told by the team rep/talent recruiter that he's too small and tries to send him back. Abraham yells at him and orders him back home and says he will have to pay, which is bogus because he unwisely sent someone the team didn't want, wasting his money and their time. Soane decides otherwise and stays and we discover Soane is a hot commodity now? What, okkkk...

I felt like the film was a good watch, great cinematography and storytelling, but man, the plot holes were just nuts. Also, some scenes were bewildering, like the dad who didn't want his son to...go overseas, make a lot of money and send it back? Wut? Also, Abraham is at the family's home in Noumea and looks out at a gorgeous bay/inlet, whatever and basically calls it a dump when there's probalby all sorts of people in Australia, Europe or North America, China, that would pay a fortune for a property with that view, lol.

Leave your common sense at the door when watching this and it's a better movie. That's all.

I really liked this movie and would recommend it to anyone. I particularly liked the photography and acting. It was very authentic, its less about Rugby and more about being true to your values. Toki Pilioko does a fine acting job in the lead role. The singing and cultural traditions displayed are interesting. Director,Sacha Wolff shows much insight into the the Wallis Island polynesian culture. There is a behind the scenes revealing look at professional sports and the realities experienced by new players. This film also touches on family conflicts and coming of age challenges. My congratulations to the director Sacha and the film crew and cast on a job well done. Special thanks to Netflix for picking up this film and adding it to their list of feature films.

Ian