Review | MARLON WILLIAMS: NGĀ AO E RUA, TWO WORLDS

Marlon with his mother Jenn Rendall (left) and director Ursula Grace Williams (right).

MARLON WILLIAMS: NGĀ AO E RUA, TWO WORLDS
REVIEW nā ILA COUCH

Ngā Ao E Rua, Two Worlds documents
the four years it took Marlon Williams
(Ngāi Tahu, Ngāi Tai) to record his first
reo Māori album, Te Whare Tīwekaweka.

Early in the film, Marlon dedicates the
documentary to those who, like him, are on
their reo Māori journey. It’s a moment of real
connection – like a personal invitation to
board the waka with him.

Navigating the highs and lows of this
journey is first-time feature film director
Ursula Grace Williams (Villages – Afega,
Vaimoso, Saoluafata). You know you’re
watching an indigenous filmmaker in their
element when one minute you’re backstage
laughing as Marlon reveals a gnarly,
disfigured toenail to the world, and the next
you’re following him onstage into a scene
that fades to black.

In Te Pō the a cappella
waiata E Mawehe Ana Au reverberates
in darkness as the captions play out,
translating te reo Māori into te reo Pākehā.

I am torn between two worlds
Here I sit, looking out
Another world, another world
Every day, the chasm grows.
I cannot sense a guiding voice
In the city, or in the natural world
In this day and in every day
I am split.

When we emerge in Te Ao Mārama,
Marlon is revealed in a sun-drenched
recording studio. With a shy smile, he exits
our screen. The beauty of this intensely
intimate film is that it maintains the delicate
balance between the mental and emotional
challenges of reclaiming reo and the
inherent joy in that process.

Along the way, we are introduced to
Marlon’s parents, his marae, the friends and
long-time bandmates who are not native or
fluent reo speakers, but who are the chosen
whānau of an only child in search of an
identity that makes sense to him.

Ngā Ao E Rua, Two Worlds is a beautiful
film, and if you’re reading this and thinking
about where you’ll watch it on your phone or
laptop, don’t rob yourself of an opportunity
to take someone to the movies.

Film is a collective experience. Go see this one on the
big screen while you still can.