Tinâ

Moving and awe inspiring. It was my turn to choose the movie night, movie and I picked Tina. While my partner doesn't like drama style movies he looked to me half way through and said "I love your choice, this is funny" because all New Zealanders know the kiwi humour and we had some good laughs through the movie. The moving story, humour and good acting make this such a great movie for all to enjoy. The story is a beautiful tale of culture, appreciation, perseverance, following your passion and finding healing. I cried a few times and so did another woman on the right of us. We were moved. This film is truly wonderful, a must watch.

This brought back so many memories and emotions from such a painful time. There's a particular weight that comes with stories rooted in real-life trauma, especially when they hit so close to home. For many of us who lived through the Christchurch earthquakes, whether directly or indirectly, the memory of that time is etched into our bones. This film doesn't shy away from that reality - instead, it embraces the pain and the beauty in what followed: the resilience and the community connection and support. What truly stood out for me, though, was the direction. This is a great debut from Samoan director Miki Magasiva. There's something incredibly special about seeing Pasifika voices take the lead in telling stories of Aotearoa, especially when it's done with such maturity, sensitivity, and visual storytelling skill. Magasiva's direction is confident and deliberate. He lets the silences speak, gives the actors room to breathe, and allows the emotional impact to build naturally. Thank you to the beautiful cast and crew for bringing this story to life. Thank you, Miki Magasiva, for stepping into the spotlight with such a strong, moving debut. And thank you for making space for our stories, our pain, and our hope to be seen and honoured.

I was overwhelmed by Tina, it's depth, meaning and powerful performances. It's realism captures you from the start, we see a simple woman with a big heart who has seen so much loss in her life turn things around and move mountains when she takes up her new role in the school.

I found myself getting emotional a few times with the emotional rollercoaster we were taken on and how Tina connected with her students and gave them so much in a cold and sometimes ignorant world. I loved Tina's character of a person who called a spade a spade and called out bad behaviour as she saw it. She was real and you got the real thing with her. The final scene really got me as you could see the emotion shining through the students as they gave such a moving performance. This has to be one of the best NZ films I have seen and the best film I've seen so far this year, exceeded expectations.

Awesome movie with a great story, good acting, and excellent casting. It was very emotional and funny-truly a two-hour emotional roller coaster. Being Polynesian, I couldn't be prouder. It was a beautiful blend of great singing and island culture that really hit home. A masterpiece in my eyes. One of the greatest movies I've seen in a long time. These are the kinds of movies that stay with you, that make you feel something when you leave the theatre. Well done, guys-this one's something special. Thank you so much for this, I will be raving to all my friends and family to get behind and make this movie go viral 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

Absolutely moving from start to finish.

Everything was acted incredibly. Anapela Polataivao was absolutely on point. Perfect timing for lines, perfect expressions, absolutely felt this powerhouse of strength. My friend looked to see if it was based on a true story - it wasn't, so I absolutely want to go and hunt down more from writer Miki Magasiva. Amazing story which flowed fantastically. Came out of it feeling at once sad and uplifted, angry at the system which is still so broken. Justice was not served for that community, but it made a difference in the lives of a couple of kids. Maybe that's all we can do - one mind at a time. Maybe that's not good enough.