KŌKĀ

KŌKĀ opens with a sequence of intertwined events. In a hospital room in Invercargill, a woman is slipping out of her life. Not too far away, in a trailer park being run as emergency housing, a gathering is underway, led by a troubled youth. We soon meet them as Maori elder Hamo (Hinetu Dell, prominently in VAI) and local delinquent Jo (newcomer Darneen Christian) who are inexplicably entwined and soon form an unlikely bond as they set off on a road trip across Aotearoa in a beat up Ford. Together they confront past traumas and each face their demons, their shared path becomes a journey of healing, community, and reconciliation.

Part THELMA & LOUISE, part Geoff Murphy’s GOODBYE PORK PIE, and part WHAT DREAMS MAY COME, Kath Akuhata-Brown’s directorial debut is a lyrical, spiritual road movie that tests the barriers of the cinematic language, while embracing Pasifika storytelling. As the narrative flows like a river – told in flashbacks, alternate realities, and haunted dreams – one must simply submit into the mindspace of the film’s narrative vibrations to fully appreciate Akuhata-Brown’s beautiful story where ghosts, dreams, and destiny live in both harmony and conflict.