Tinā - mother

 Tinā may follow a lot of the tropes of the underdog makes good story, especially the one where a teacher takes on a bunch of kids and turns them into something spectacular (think one of Whoopi Goldberg's stints from the Sister Act series), but it's made considerably more effective by having a wonderful Samoan actress at its heart: Anapela Polataivao as Patricia. 

After her daughter is killed in the larger of the two Christchurch earthquakes, Patricia is hit hard by depression, goes solitary and fails to find work over the next three years. Partly because of her bolshie attitude (which happens to be very endearing to the film's audience even if it's not to some of the film's characters) she gets a job at an uppity Christchurch School, a Catholic one. Of course things are never easy, particularly in terms of the rather over-the-top headmaster, but she hangs on and eventually produces a top quality upper school choir which, at the end of the film, sings at the Big Sing regional competition.

To the film's credit we don't find out whether they get through the regionals (although based on their performance they probably should). It's more important that one of the students, played by Antonia Robinson, who has some unexplained trauma affecting her life, should rise to the challenge and lead the choir. 

The story isn't always coherent, and there seems to be something slightly awry in the last sequence as shown, but there are nevertheless two things that make the film eminently worth watching. Polataivao is the powerful and funny force at its centre, and even in her darkest moments we want to keep watching her. In her upbeat moments she's wonderfully alive: giving her choir members demerits whether it's school policy or not, or leading them in complex rehearsal warm-ups, or joyfully accompanying on the piano as they sing. 

The other great aspect of the movie is the music. There's no attempt to make the music suitable for young modern listeners - in fact after one of the pupils scoffs at the choice of an Eagles' classic she's seen not long after as part of the choir giving a vital performance of it. One of the best songs is a beautifully harmonized version of the 19th century hymn, It is Well With My Soul. The familiar Samoan song at the end is sung by a choir with no Samoans in it. 

Igelese Ete is the man behind the choir music and the singing is terrific throughout; even on two occasions when the choir members miss the boat trying to sing without getting the pitch right.