RED, WHITE AND BRASS
New Zealand, 2023, 85 minutes, Colour.
John-Paul Foliaki, Dimetrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Ilaisaane Green, Mikey Falesiu, Haanz Fa'avae-Jackson, Nathanial Lees.
Directed by Damon Fepulea'i.
A very cheerful entertainment. It is from New Zealand – but, it is from the Tongan community of New Zealand, especially those who live in Wellington.
Red and white are the colours of the Tongan flag. And the brass is for the brass band which performed before the match.
The setting is the Rugby World Cup of 2011. For those who do not live in the Rugby world or who haven’t remembered who won the cup, the expected spoiler is that Tonga defeated France. And the match was played in Wellington.
At the beginning, we are told that this is a true story, more or less. And, in the final credits, the explanation is given that it is a fictional story based on the events and the central characters of the Finau family. And, as with so many films these days, happily, there are photos during the final credits, one side of the screen the film characters, the actual characters on the other side.
Seems as though everyone in New Zealand is Rugby-mad. But, with Tonga excelling itself in the matches, and watched eagerly on television by the Wellington-community, and with Tonga making the finals, it is no wonder that everybody wants to buy tickets for the match as soon as they become available. But, to pay for them! The central family is the Finau family, father being the pastor of the church, a benign man but whose word is the final word. Except, of course, for the mother, the genial matriarch who always gets what she wants. And the son is Maka, exhaustingly exuberant, John-Paul Foliaki (his only films so far with no immediate information about his performance background). He commands the show – but is not always reliable, prone to burst out, raising money in the church for the tickets, getting in tangles with members of the congregation, buying fake tickets from a local gangster, Terrance (with his mother persuasively demanding the refund), forever making bad judgments. He relies on his rather dapper friend, Veni, upwardly mobile, Dimitrius Schuster Koloamatangi.
It is hard to believe what actually happens, the need for a brass band to introduce the Tongan team, Maka with all sorts of schemes, rounding up everyone, relying on an actual musician to train the group, Maka always being the major, even Terrance having a musical skill, misses, tangles, rebellions, opportunities, a fiasco of a rehearsal, but, and it looks as though this happened in real life, they actually come through. So, some entertaining rehearsals, comic mess-ups, and a great performance at the end.
Then the moral that Maka has to learn, no place for the self-centred individualist, rather, as with the Rugby team, achievement is in teamwork!
We always seem to like “the show must go on” films, music, performance, comedy. And here it is, cheerfully, in under 90 minutes.
1. A cheerful film? For Tongans? Tongan communities? New Zealanders? Audiences who live in the Pacific area?
2. The World Rugby Cup? 2011, the success of Tonga in the matches? The final, playing against France, in Wellington? The news footage of the matches?
3. The Wellington setting, the Tongan community, homes, the church? Rugby, the arena, the stands, rehearsals? The church, worship, charity, the offices?
4. The focus on Maka and his family, his exuberance, appearance, hair, clothes, football enthusiasts, the scenes in the church, the charity, raising money? His father as the pastor, stern? Is mother and her presence? His friendship with Veni, Veni keeping an eye on him? Desperate to have tickets for the final match? How to raise money? His spending the thousand dollars, getting the tickets, Irene robbing the ticket, their being fakes? Everybody’s reaction, disappointment? His desperation? (And his mother, stern, going to see Terrance and demanding the refund, the men subservience will be returning it, donating?)
5. Veni, upwardly mobile, job, clothes, manner, his home, covered in Tongan flags? His reaction? Friendship with Maka, supporting him, but being let down by him? Lining up to buy a ticket, put at the end of the queue, the phone call, his missing out?
6. Maka, enthusiasm, the issue of the brass band, his embracing the idea, being the drum major, rounding everyone up, Veni and his help, Simone arriving from Tonga, with Terrance, the mother bringing him to her house, his musical skills, Maka and antagonism, change of heart, getting the instruments?
7. Gathering the group, reluctance, the meetings, the discussions? Their ignorance of music? Simone and his getting them with the plastic bottles and their breathing, the exercises, the motley group, age, weight, men, women?
8. The music teacher, white, her enthusiasm, the group coming into her class? Getting the instruments? Veni able to play? The irony of Terrance and his skills and audition? The practices, the drills, the movements, Maka getting out of hand, rebellion? Their being persuaded to continue? The Reverend, his son and his antagonism, council meetings?
9. The meeting with the official from the match, persuading her that he could have a brass band, the contact, the time for the rehearsal, going well, Maka and his getting out of control, wanting fancy moves, the collapse?
10. The further rehearsals, everybody making the effort?
11. The Reverend, his son, summoning Maka’s father, forbidding the outlandish moves? Maka’s father, listening to his son, listening to his wife, having faith in the younger generation?
12. Veni, words of wisdom, the point about footballers being team players, Maka and his self-centredness, showing off, learning the lesson of team playing?
13. The gathering, the prayer, marching out, the acclaim of the crowd, the performance, the different routines, Maka’s parents, his proud mother and boasting, even the Reverend acknowledging the crowd and claiming, his pouting son?
14. The achievement, joy, exuberance? And the final credits with the photos and the actual characters?
