Mauri (life principle, life force, vital essence inherent in all living things)
The Vital Essence in All Beings
The film is an intimate, visually stunning testament to a land and a people who have survived removal, exploitation, and colonization — and to the healing ways that are part of the Māori ancestral knowledge. It juxtaposes the enduring trauma of colonialism with the resilience offered through Māori ancestral healing traditions.
Mauri explores intergenerational trauma and the loss of Indigenous identity experienced by the native people of Aotearoa (New Zealand). It also contrasts Māori traditional healing practices, which provide a holistic approach to well-being, with Western therapeutic trauma-healing methods, disconnected from the indigenous worldviews and relationships.
The viewer can feel the healing radiating through as we journey into the world of Māori healers and discover the specific way in which each of them works.
Altogether, Mauri is a fascinating portrayal of the loss of cultural heritage and the healing available through the return to ancestral ways.
