backwardsiris
Do you like movies with star-cross'd lovers, tribal rivalries, scampish little sisters, pristine Polynesian islands, active volcanoes & penis sheaths? If so, TANNA is the movie for you! Simultaneously heart-breaking & hopeful, this film was the first to be shot entirely in Vanuatu. At times you will laugh, gasp & most definitely cry, as you follow the timeless tale (based on a true story) of two lovers caught in the middle of parental & tribal responsibilities. The cinematography was breathtaking & displayed the impeccable photographic vision of filmmakers who had previously created documentaries. The performers were not trained actors, but members of the Yakel tribe--however, their performances were as heart-felt & gut-wrenchingly real as that of any Oscar winning actor. The stand-out for me, was the young girl, Marceline Rofit, who played the role of the impish little sister, Selin. The depth of emotion that she evoked is well beyond her years & is a stand-out among all the incredible performances in this film.
sergelamarche
It is much like Roméo and Juliette but so much better. They say the story is true but the film says the events are fictitious at the end. Could be just the end that is true. Nevertheless, the film works with the story and the acting is good, if not delightful at times. Edge of my seat for the finale.
Sharon Halstead
I've been trying to expand my horizons outside of my usual genre so I chose Tanna as an experiment and I'm glad I did. Unusual in that the cast are not professional actors but the actual tribe members that live on the island. They did an excellent job, better than some professionals I have seen. Story is simple; several tribes that inhabit the island have a custom of arranged marriages between tribes in order to keep the peace between them. One young woman and man from the same tribe are in love yet she is chosen to be the bride offering that year to another, warlike tribe. The young couple run off together to try to make a life and we see the trials they go through as well as the effect this has on all the tribes. I can't say much more than that but found out at the end this was based on a true story. Well worth watching for the story, the beautiful scenery and witnessing the workings of a much simpler and freer culture than mine here in the United States.
andrewbunney
This is a love story set on Tanna, one of the islands of Vanuatu in the Pacific off the coast of Qld. It is a contemporary story, not that it matters, little has changed in thousands of years for the traditional tribes living barely clad in the jungles. Dain, the Yakel chief's son, loves Wawa but she is promised to another by custom. The love marriage that the two want will surely lead to war between the tribes. What will the tribal chiefs do? Made by Australian film makers Martin Butler & Bentley Dean while living and working with the Yakel tribe, the result is a lushly beautiful, suspenseful and uniquely rewarding story. The island setting is cinematic with its active volcano, dense jungle, ash plains and sandy beaches. The untrained, brown-skinned actors bring both realism and natural charm to this mythic, Romeo & Juliet story imbued with traditional cultural elements. The medicine man plays the medicine man, Chief Charlie plays himself and Dain, the acknowledged most handsome was put forward to play the lead role.(Now on DVD)
AD
