The Convert (2023) and the True Story Behind Hamish Clayton’s Novel Wulf

Last updated on August 17th, 2024 at 10:57 am

The Convert is a 2023 historical drama directed by Lee Tamahori, set in 1830s New Zealand. The film stars Guy Pearce as Thomas Munro, a British missionary who becomes entangled in the conflicts between two Māori tribes and grapples with his faith amidst the chaos.

Played by Tiaoreore Ngatai-Melbourne as Rangimai, a Māori woman who grows from a widow into a strong warrior, and the film also features performances from Antonio Te Maioha, Jacqueline McKenzie, and Dean O’Gorman​.

It certainly reminds me of Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, a 21-year-old Māori parliamentarian who went viral because of her haka performance during her maiden speech in parliament of New Zealand, in January 2024.

The Convert is based on the novel “Wulf” by Hamish Clayton which explores themes of cultural collision, faith, and identity, showcasing the diversity and complexity of Māori culture. it also portrays how Christianity took over the aboriginal religion and muskets took over the handmade weapons.

Although it avoids common images of cross-cultural stories by focusing on subtitled Māori dialogue and presenting varied Māori perspectives. The production was praised for its attention to historical detail and the authentic depiction of Māori customs and conflicts​.

Storyline

In 1930 a former British soldier, Thomas Munro (played by Guy Pearce), was being transported to Epworth as a Christian minister in cargo by a British arms trader, Kedgley (played by Dean O’Gorman), via the Tasman Sea. The Western settlers colonised the Island, now in need of a missionary.

On their, voyage they stopped by the exotic and pristine-looking island of Māori Indigenous of New Zealand where Munro witnessed fierce fighting and killing between two factions of the tribe, led by Maianui (played by Antonio Te Maioha) and Akatarewa (played by Lawrence Makoare).

Akatarewa ordered the killing of some Maianui men including the husband of Rangamai, the daughter of Maianui leader of the Ngati Hau faction. Munro intercepted the Akatarewa to stop the killing in exchange for his beautiful white horse. However, Akatarewa agrees to spare only one life for one horse, which was of Rangamai. Brings her to Epworth

His care cured her wounds. In Epworth, Horace Beauchamp provided him with lodging and supplies. The colonisers of Epworth were worried about their land being taken away by the powerful Akatarewa.

One day Rangamai’s father arrives in Epworth with his men along with the men who killed her husband. He executed the accused in front of her there and left, leaving Rangamai in Munro’s care to be educated by him when he heard that he saved her life. Maianui left a man, Pahirua, to protect her.

Nevertheless, Horace Beauchamp ordered his killing of Pahirua when he realised that one of his daughters fell in love with Pahirua.

The death of Pahirua upsets Munro and Rangamai greatly. The men of Horace made the murderer of an innocent man, Padgett, the owner of a stone, but only at Munor’s suspicion. Later Munro was told that the criminal commits suicide, which was represented as a sign of the sinfulness of the man.

When Munro, Rangamai and Mrs Hegarty (played by Jacqueline Mackenzie), a local herbal healer were taking the corpse of Pahirua to his tribe, Munro was told to tell Maianui that Pahirua’s death has been avenged, to which Munro expressed his disagreement.

In Maianui camp, Munro urged Maianui not to buy muskets to kill themselves. He tells him that the British government want them to destroy each other. Munro tells him not to fight against each other to establish supremacy. he says he would approach Akatarewa with a peace proposal from him.

Maianui agrees to the peace proposal on the condition that Munro would go to Akatarewa to convert him to his religion and if he succeeds and can return alive he will also follow his religion. But Munro’s peace proposal failed and was almost killed by the Akatarewa’s worriers.

After Munro and Rangamai had returned to Ngāti Hau’s camp, Akatarewa, who also killed the arms traders and hijacked the cargo with mortars and weapons, showed up for a battle with Ngāti Hau’s men.

Though Akatarewa men possessed muskets, the Maianui’s people prepared traditional edged weapons and fought them in a very primitive nature, while digging trenches and creating smoke.

Akatarewa lost the battle. Maianui kills Akatarewa himself. But kept his son Uenuku (played by Ariki Rurner) alive and as a sign of peach offering handing Rangamai over to him.

Four years later when the British empire wanted to establish a Custom and Excise post in Epworth, the Ngāti Hau people reused, and so did Munro who proposed to William Cornwall, the King’s representative, that the King should pay rental to Ngāti Hau people if they want to establish British Custom and Excise post in Epworth.

The Striking features of The Convert

The film begins in breathtakingly beautiful forest land and blue water beach island. It does not only present the history of the unpeaceful existence of the Māori tribe it also showcases the nature of the people of the tribe how they depended on nature for their survival, and also factional supremacy.

The beauty of nature and the nature of the tribe glued my eyes to the laptop screen the whole time.

Where in Dances With Wolf we see vast and treeless beautiful prairies, in The Convert it is just the opposite. We witness the actual and unadulterated beauty of forests and islands. Lieutenant Dunbar protects the Native American tribes from the white native Americans in Dances With Wolfs when Thomas Munro tries to establish peace between tribal infighting of the Māori tribe and the British invasion.

But I still cannot understand why Horace Beauchamp had to kill innocent Pahirua, just because of his attraction towards his daughter. I think it is because the lives of natives did not matter to the so-called civilised men. He could have warned either his daughter or Pahirua. He thought he was not worth a warning.

Horace Beauchamp made a criminal of Padgett just to get rid of him to create a business monopoly or because he sold supplies to the natives. A medical doctor even refused to provide healthcare to Rangami because she was one of the natives.

Conclusion

The Convert can give you some dopamine rush through beautiful scenes along with a little historical fact on Māori people. I think it would not be a bad idea to witness a little struggle of tribal and imperial supremacy.