I have seen a few reviews both here and on other sites that make me laugh in relation to the reviewer's knowledge of the movie "plot" and of Tanna Island itself.
NO, NO, NO! Tanna is NOT in a remote part of Australia nor is it a part of the Solomon Island group.
Tanna is one of the 97 Islands in the Republic of Vanuatu, (Formerly known as the New Hebrides until independence in 1980.)
There is no such word as "Vanuatuan" it is just Vanuatu. The people are known as Ni-Vanuatu (basically meaning 'born Vanuatu'), not "Indians".
For those who thought that the 'plot' was a bit thin, what were the film makers supposed to do? The 'plot' is based on REAL events that happened just as 'recently' as 1987. Would it have been right for the film makers to fabricate a different story or outcome?
One of the real take aways from the movie and the events themselves was just how quickly the Ni-Vanuatu people reacted to the sad outcome that was initially brought on by the prior custom of arranged marriages.
The people in the movie may be viewed by some as 'uneducated savages', but hey, they stopped arranged marriages in 1987, the Royal Family of Britain were still wanting to arrange marriages until Prince William and Prince Harry turned the tide.
The other thing that gains some criticism, is that the film gets a bit slow from time to time. Yes, I agree that it does.
But I think what the movie makers were trying to create, was not just a typical movie with just a storyline, they were trying to draw us into knowing the people of Vanuatu better, they were giving us incredible images of the great beauty of the country and it's islands, and they were showing us that Vanuatu is "another time, another pace".
Things do tend to happen a bit slowly in Vanuatu, and the Pacific Islands as a whole. The term 'Pacific Time' is well known to seasoned travellers.
In Vanuatu, you learn to slow down, look around and see and appreciate the little things in life. Take time to smell the Hibiscus and the fresh clean environment.
Sure there is violence, but also look at the simple pleasures and happiness gained by the people. People living happily and contentedly without the need for material things that we think are so important to our lives.
People living together, supporting one another and coming together and resolving issues in times of turmoil and grief.
Look beyond the storyline and our own ideas of life and see that these 'primitive' people have so much to teach us 'civilised' ones, if we just take the time to stop and really look.
