We Were Dangerous is Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu’s directorial debut. It is a coming-of-age dramatic feature film. Maddie Dai wrote the screenplay. The film premiered at the SXSW Film & Television Festival in 2024, where it won a Special Jury Award. I am so glad I had the opportunity to see it recently after missing it at last year’s festival.
The movie is set in the 1950s and filmed in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand. There was a disciplinary center called the Te Motu School for Incorrigible and Delinquent Girls. If anyone is not aware of this “school” that existed in many places (the USA and other countries), these were given the title of a “school” but were more the disciplinary center rather than educational. I have seen other films that have been made on actual facilities that existed for various reasons that the “government” or other officials deemed were necessary to deal with individuals who were deemed delinquent. Punishment does not seem to be regulated nor monitored, so the minors lived through some very devastating experiences in their lives.
The girls are moved from one site to an isolated island in 1954 after an “incident” that needed to be addressed while based on the mainland. A few teenage girls sent to the isolated island are joined by another teen sent by her affluent medical doctor father, who deems she needs some “change.” The girls begin to bond with one another as they rebel against the institution’s Christian indoctrination and other procedures a few girls are forced to undergo.
The film stars Rima Te Wiata, Erana James, Nathalie Morris, and Manaia Hall. The performances are excellent, and the bond the girls form appears very authentic. The girls are of various ages and educational levels. One bond is particularly special when the older one establishes a sisterly relationship to help her navigate the most difficult situations.
Taika Waititi executive produces it along with Carthew Neal, Bill Way, Elliott Whitton, and Emily Gotto. Morgan Waru and Polly Fryer serve as producers.
We Were Dangerous will be released on April 4, 2025, in limited theaters, including Beverly Hills, Tacoma, and New Paltz, NY (none in TX). It will then expand to additional markets on April 11, 2025 (limited cities in TX). Visit this page for updates: https://weweredangerous.film/watch.
Source: The Forge