‘Mārama — A Gothic Reckoning of Blood, Identity and Colonial Sin – Review
New Zealand cinema takes a daring step into the shadows with Mārama, a brooding, psychologically charged gothic-romantic-horror that grapples with identity, inheritance, and the violent aftershocks of colonial history. Writer-director Taratoa Stappard delivers a film of raw intensity and pulsing atmosphere, one that refuses comfort, certainty, or convention. This is gothic cinema with its teeth bared, and it’s among the most striking and provocative local releases of 2026.
1859. When a young Māori woman is summoned from New Zealand to North Yorkshire, she uncovers the horrific truth of her colonial heritage—and must destroy the titled Englishman who has devastated her family.
A Gothic Vision Forged From Blood and History
Drawing deeply from his own cultural and personal lineage, Stappard fuses intimate storytelling with the heightened pleasures of gothic romance and horror. Mārama is thick with dread, desire, and revelation, reworking the traditions of Brontëan moors and candlelit corridors through a distinctly New Zealand lens. Identity and culture sit at the film’s core, as does the lingering, malignant presence of colonial violence, an inheritance that refuses to stay buried.
The result is a film that writhes with contradiction: beauty and brutality, restraint and extremity, intimacy and spectacle. Stappard’s direction is fearless, pushing the narrative into shocking, often transgressive territory, while carving out a space that feels entirely its own within the landscape of Aotearoa cinema.
A Journey Into the Moors, and the Self
Best experienced with minimal foreknowledge, Mārama follows Mary Stevens, a young woman drawn from Aotearoa to the wild, unforgiving Yorkshire moors. Taken in by the wealthy and enigmatic Sir Nathaniel Cole, Mary is soon installed as governess within his imposing estate. But hospitality quickly curdles into menace.
As waking nightmares bleed into reality, Mary begins to sense that Cole’s generosity masks something far more sinister. What unfolds is both a psychological descent and an awakening, one that forces Mary to confront a suppressed identity and reclaim a power long denied.
Ariāna Osborne: A Star Ignites
In a commanding, fearless performance, Ariāna Osborne seizes the film and refuses to let go. Initially reserved and uncertain, her Mary slowly fractures under the weight of revelation, transforming into something far more formidable. Osborne peels back each layer with precision, revealing rage, grief, and mana in equal measure.
A defining moment; Osborne clad in blood-red, delivering a haka of searing intensity, lands with bone-deep power. It is electrifying, confrontational, and unforgettable. From this point, the duality of Mary and Mārama drives the film into its most haunted terrain. Osborne is a revelation, delivering a performance of striking complexity and ferocity.
Colonial Power as Gothic Horror
Opposite her, Toby Stephens brings a chilling gravitas to Sir Nathaniel Cole. A man of wealth, status, and imperial entitlement, Cole initially presents as polished and paternal, but this civility is a carefully maintained illusion. Stephens excels in weaponising charm, crafting a portrait of colonial power that is as seductive as it is monstrous. You never quite know what he’s capable of, and that unpredictability fuels the film’s dread.
Mania, Menace and Unchecked Excess
Special mention must go to Errol Shand as Jack Fenton, Cole’s volatile confidant and resident agent of chaos. Feral, obscene, and gloriously unhinged, Shand’s performance is a blast of pure extremity. He knows where the bodies are buried—and delights in reminding us.
A Feast for the Senses
Visually, Mārama is ravishing. Cinematographer Gin Loane drenches the film in moody shadows and painterly compositions, while Nick Williams’s production design transforms the estate into a decadent mausoleum of colonial excess. Sarah Voon’s sumptuous costuming completes the illusion, grounding the film firmly in its period while heightening its operatic flair.
One sequence reigns supreme: Cole’s grotesque birthday feast—a darkly gaudy, baroque spectacle that spirals into madness and excess. It’s a showstopper, and one of the most audacious set-pieces in recent New Zealand cinema.
Final Verdict: A Dark Jewel of New Zealand Cinema
Mārama burns with purpose, anger, and artistry. It is a film unafraid to use genre as a weapon—to interrogate history, reclaim identity, and confront the ghosts of colonialism head-on. For audiences seeking something bold, unsettling, and fiercely original, this is essential viewing. A gothic reckoning, rendered in blood and shadow.
Image: Vendetta Films
