Vai (2019)

There is a line in the film's own tagline, "8 Stories, One Lifetime", that tells you almost everything you need to know about the ambition behind Vai (2019). The film follows a single character, Vai, across eight episodes of her life, from young girl to elder, played by a different indigenous Pacific actress in each segment and filmed across seven countries: New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, the Cook Islands, Samoa, and Niue. Each chapter is grounded in a distinct culture, language, and landscape, yet the thread of water, family, and identity runs through all of them. The result is something quite unlike the standard anthology format, where the danger is always that the whole feels looser than its individual parts. Here, the connecting tissue is not plot mechanics but something more elemental, a shared sense of place and belonging that accumulates quietly over ninety minutes.

The production itself is an unusual one by any measure. Vai was made under the banners of Brown Sugar Apple Grunt and Department of Post, and it was directed not by one person but by nine women, each handling her own segment from within her own Pacific nation or community. The directors include Becs Arahanga, Amberley Jo Aumua, Matasila Freshwater, Dianna Fuemana, Mīria George, 'Ofa-Ki-Levuka Guttenbeil-Likiliki, Marina Alofagia McCartney, Nicole Whippy, and Sharon Whippy. That kind of genuinely collective filmmaking is rare, and it places Vai in a different category to most of what comes out of the region. New Zealand cinema, of course, has a broad international profile, with everything from Peter Jackson's King Kong to the mockumentary wit of What We Do in the Shadows sitting under its umbrella. But Vai is operating in a much more intimate register, closer in spirit to films like Mustang, another drama rooted in the specific lives and pressures of women in a particular cultural setting, or the quietly observational Aho'eitu, which also comes out of the Pacific New Zealand film community. The ensemble cast, including Mereani Tuimatanisiga, Ar-Ramadi Longopoa, Betsy Luitolo, Evotia-Rose Araiti, and Agnes Pele among others, brings a naturalness to the material that feels entirely unforced. These are performances shaped by familiarity with the worlds being depicted, and it shows in every frame.

It is also worth noting, before we get to the review proper, that Vai was shot on location across all seven of its Pacific settings. The geography is not decorative. Water, coastline, and the physical landscape of each island carry meaning throughout, connecting the character's identity to something larger than any single story. Whether that lands for you as a viewer will depend a good deal on your appetite for reflective, episodic storytelling over conventional narrative drive. With that in mind, here is what Macca made of it.

A-Z World Movie Tour Niue (and about 6 others) Vai is a quietly remarkable film, an anthology like no other, weaving together seven chapters directed by seven different women from six Pacific nations, all following the journey of a character named Vai at different ages and in different island nations. From Fiji to Aotearoa, Tonga to Samoa, each segment stands alone, yet together they form a cohesive, deeply moving coming-of-age narrative. The concept could have felt fragmented, but instead, it flows like a river, the same name, the same spirit, rippling through time and place, shaped by each unique culture she moves through. What makes Vai so special is its authenticity. This isn’t a story filtered through an outsider’s lens; it’s made by Indigenous Pacific women, telling stories rooted in their own languages, traditions, and realities. You feel the salt in the air, hear the lilt of dialects, witness the quiet strength of women guiding one another. Each chapter captures a different stage of life.  Childhood curiosity, teenage rebellion, adult responsibility, elder wisdom and in doing so, paints a rare, full-circle portrait of a Pacific woman’s life, shaped by community, land, and ancestral connection. It’s not without flaws, pacing varies between segments, and some stories feel more complete than others, but as a collective work, it’s powerful. It’s a rarity in cinema: a truly collaborative Indigenous vision that feels unified, respectful, and deeply personal. More than just a film, Vai is a cultural gift. A celebration of identity, resilience, and the unbroken thread that ties women to their roots. A must-watch for its heart, its honesty, and its place in Pacific storytelling history.

What stayed with me after the credits rolled was the sense that Vai earns its emotional weight honestly, without manipulating you into it. For me, that is the hardest thing for any anthology film to pull off, and the fact that this one does it through nine different directing voices rather than one controlling hand makes it all the more impressive. Yes, a couple of segments sit more comfortably alongside the others than some, but I found myself thinking about the film as a whole rather than picking it apart by chapter, which is exactly what it asks of you. Films this willing to trust their audience are worth seeking out, and Pacific cinema especially deserves more of that attention. A film that quietly earns its place.

Rating: ★★★½  | Year: 2019  | Watched: 2025-08-03

View on Letterboxd →

Trailer

▶ Watch the official trailer for Vai (2019) on YouTube

Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: Amazon Prime Video · Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: Amazon Prime Video · Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US

Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.

Related on Movies With Macca

More from New Zealand: What We Do in the Shadows (2014) · Mortal Engines (2018) · King Kong (2005) · 'Aho'eitu (2015)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More drama: Viy (1967) · Wonder (2017) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Beautiful Boy (2018)