Movies about free-spirited teachers galvanizing classrooms or tough-minded coaches motivating teams are a time-honored Hollywood trope. But the earnest mood and regional touches of “Tinā,” a New Zealand movie that centers on a choir instructor who teaches her students to harmonize, distinguish it from others using the familiar formula.
“Tinā,” whose title comes from the Samoan word for “mother,” follows Mareta Percival (Anapela Polataivao), a Samoan music teacher mourning her daughter, who died in the Christchurch earthquake in 2011. The story begins three years after the tragedy, when Mareta joins the faculty of an elite, mostly white private school. She initially begrudges the job but then warms to the diffident students — and starts a choir to help them find their voices.
The film, written and directed by Miki Magasiva, gets pitchy in its B-plots, particularly in a power struggle on the school board and conflicts in the Samoan community. There’s just too much story to stuff into a two-hour running time, and the events — including not one but two critical health crises — demand more than passing scenes.
Magasiva made “Tinā” after seeing a video of white and Asian high schoolers singing a traditional Samoan love song at a choir competition. He recreates that concert at the end of his movie, and, with it, scores a hard tug on the heartstrings. Once that happens, the undercooked plots fade from memory. Whether you will be moved by the performance depends on your taste for schmaltz.
Tinā
Not rated. In English and Samoan, with subtitles. Running time: 2 hours 4 minutes. In theaters.
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