The director of Once Were Warriors returns with a powerful new film set in 1830s New Zealand. Seeking redemption from a dark past, lay preacher Thomas Munro (Guy Pearce) comes to the newly established British settlement of Epworth. As he arrives, he witnesses a battle between two Maori tribes and manages to save the life of Rangimai, the daughter of a powerful chief whose land the people of Epworth lease in a delicate arrangement. As Munro begins to object to the townspeople’s entrenched racism and paranoia towards the Maori, he finds himself increasingly ostracized within the community he is meant to serve. The realization dawns that he has been brought to this isolated place merely to add a veneer of civilization. As a bloody war continues between the two dominant Maori tribes, Munro must decide what role he will play and whether his faith is real, or of any value. –Alissa Simon

Content advisory: violence