Great Trailer for Guy Pearce's New Zealand Set Historical Epic THE CONVERT

Here’s a fantastic first trailer for a great-looking New Zealand historical epic titled The Convert. The movie stars Guy Pearce as Thomas Munro, a newly arrived preacher in a colonial town in early 19th-century New Zealand who finds himself at the center of a long-standing battle between two Māori tribes.

It’s explained that the film explores “questions of faith, transformation, and the nature of violence. A visceral cinema-going experience, ambitious in scope and action, the film is also one of the most authentic and exciting depictions of pre-colonial Aotearoa New Zealand and Māori culture ever portrayed on screen.”

While the story is steeped in local history and folklore, “it is essentially a universal tale about redemption and sacrifice. It also chronicles Indigenous issues that are relatable in many places in the world and is underpinned by themes that have been explored on screen for generations.”

Pearce talked about the film saying: “Munro has come from the other side of the world to be the preacher in this town that is being set up.

“But there's clearly a world that has existed for many years prior to white folk arriving, and the way in which different cultures try and work together… the fragility of that and the precariousness of that is something that I find fascinating.

“I thought the script was immediately poignant and realistic and quite profound. And knowing that Lee was going to be making this, I just knew that there was a tenderness and an intelligence to it that perhaps others wouldn't bring.”

He went on to talk about Munro saying: “He finds himself here in Aotearoa where he's immediately thrust into the heart of tribal warfare.

“And on many levels, as a man, as a warrior from the past, he understands the psychology of war and he's very aware that he's an outsider, but at the same time he has a strong belief that there's an internal burning for peace. It doesn't matter where you're from in the world, we should all be able to find it.”

The movie comes from director Lee Tamahori and it also stars Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne, Antonio Te Maioha, Jacqueline McKenzie, and Lawrence Makoare.

The movie will be released on July 12th, and I’m looking forward to watching it!