What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?
After his son’s gang-related death, a broken Maori father fights his own alcoholism and violent legacy to keep his surviving child from seeking revenge.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- bleak
- mournful
- intimate
- serious drama night
- social issue cinema viewing
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jake's alcoholism and violent history threaten to shape Sonny after Nig's death, while Jake attempts to interrupt that inheritance.
Jake tries to reform his life and protect Sonny from repeating Nig's fate.
Nig's death in a gang fight drives Sonny's revenge quest and exposes the wider violent world surrounding the Heke family.
The Heke family's conflict is situated within Maori life in Auckland and follows the social pressures surrounding gang culture and poverty.
Films like What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, and why
Once Were Warriors
shared themes of family breakdown, inherited violence, and marginalized community life in a hard-edged social drama
Romper Stomper
shared focus on gang violence, damaged masculinity, and attempts at moral change within a culturally specific community
Animal Kingdom
shared themes of grief, criminal subculture, and family loyalty in an emotionally intense crime drama
The Place Beyond the Pines
shared emphasis on generational trauma, community violence, and personal redemption in a grounded drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Ian Mune
- Release Date
- 1999-05-27
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (65)
Cast
- Temuera Morrison
- Rena Owen
- Clint Eruera
- Nancy Brunning
- Pete Smith
- Lawrence Makoare
- Rawiri Paratene
- Julian Arahanga
- Rudolph Alford
- Tony Billy
Common questions
- What is What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? about?
- After his son’s gang-related death, a broken Maori father fights his own alcoholism and violent legacy to keep his surviving child from seeking revenge.
- What is What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? as brutal.
- Which films are like What Becomes of the Broken Hearted??
- Films with a similar feel include Once Were Warriors, Romper Stomper, Animal Kingdom, and The Place Beyond the Pines.
- How long is What Becomes of the Broken Hearted??
- What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? runs 108 minutes.
