Getting Academy Award buzz

Yes! I loved this film! It was a real eye opener for me. My mother is from Samoa and yet it took this film to know about the culture of her birthplace. I found the film quite brutal in parts, though there was not as much physical violence as other films, however it seemed like such an honest portrayal of life in Samoa, and I have been told by Samoan friends that it is indeed accurate.

I've seen many films which have won the best foreign film category and those that have been nominated and I would say that The Orator is on par with the winning films. I love foreign films and rate this as being in my top 20 easily. I thought of it as a Samoan film, more than a New Zealand film, so it is still 'foreign' to me despite being a New Zealander :)