Beautifully shot but leaves too many questions open

Director: Thomas Burstyn
Country: New Zealand
Runtime: 84 minutes

All families are different — but Peter Karena’s clan is truly unique.

This beautifully photographed and intimate documentary covers four years of their life — an existence that puts family values above materialism.

Patriarch Peter is of European lineage but was adopted into a Maori family and is Maori in all but skintone. He is a horse whisperer, a back-to-basics hunter-gatherer and a philosopher who refuses to compromise or stress, even in the face of overwhelming challenges.

He and his wife Colleen, both in their early 30s, head a household of six children and about 50 horses, living almost wild in the breathtakingly beautiful Ruahine mountains.

We see them celebrate a birth, cope with a miscarriage and pick up the pieces after their home is destroyed in a suspicious blaze.

But despite every hardship, they refuse to mope or complain, instead focusing on their blessings to enjoy a meaningful and satisfying life.

There is no authoritarian rule in this family — the children run free and do not understand the

notion of danger.

We see a seven-year-old ride a massive stallion bareback and youngsters climbing huge trees and leaping into rivers.

What happens if one breaks a bone isn’t raised and we are left wondering if they have any formal education or are even home schooled. Reading and writing seems to take second place to the school of life.

There is plenty of heart, notably when Peter lovingly describes his children in detail — a paternal relationship in stark contrast to the one he shares with his own father.

It is never explained why they are at odds, a rift that sees Peter’s father sell his home — the familial home for generations — out from under him.

The new owners start demanding rent and then the house burns down in suspicious circumstances, forcing the Karenas to move to a shed near the ocean.

One cannot help but admire their optimism and happiness with the simplistic things in life but you are left with questions about their lifestyle. We may disagree with the lack of discipline, education and protection given to their children but the movie does show what youngsters can be capable of.

The Karenas’ way of life may be unconventional but they seem genuinely content — without the need for the materialism consuming modern western society.

Bermuda Documentary Film Festival Reviews:

• Pink Saris
• Living in Emergency
• Shed Your Tears and Walk Away
• The Green Wave
• This Way Of Life