Mārama

❝Who do you think you are? How dare you wear the markings of my ancestors? Come here! I'll rip that face off you!❞ · · ───── ⊱ ·✦· ⊰ ───── · · Any film that highlights the horrors of colonialism (especially that of the English) is automatically gonna score points in my books, but Mārama exceeded any expectations I had, and it was fantastic. The creeping feeling of revulsion and horror that slowly built over time was genuinely chilling, and several plot twists were executed really well. I loved how the dark Victorian Gothic atmosphere intertwined with indigenous Māori culture, and the costumes worn by Mārama in particular were beautiful. Ariāna Osborne was utterly brilliant as the titular character, and her performance truly gave me chills; Toby Stephens made a great antagonist, providing his character of Nathaniel Cole with an unsettling atmosphere, especially during the last act. All in all, I really liked Mārama, and if you haven't seen this film already, I highly recommend giving it a watch.