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“Jake's search for redemption. “After Beth left him to seek a life beyond the violence and uncertainty, Jake the Muss turned his back on his family. While he has found a new woman, Rita, he's still up to his usual tricks in McClutchy's Bar, unaware, as he downs his latest opponent, that is eldest son, Nig, has died in a gang fight.
“WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED? is director Ian Mune's sequel to the international success Once Were Warriors (1994, directed by Lee Tamahori), based on the book by Alan Duff. Duff also took on the role of script writer for the film.
“WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED? won nine of its thirteen nominations at the NZ Film and TV Awards (1999), including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay.
“Festival/Awards: Bangkok Film Festival-Thailand 2000 New Zealand Film Festival NY-USA 2001.” - New Zealand Film Commission; www.nzfilm.co.nz/film/what-becomes-of-the-broken-hearted; 24/01/2014.
“A sequel to Once Were Warriors, in which Jake the Muss hits rock bottom after his son Nig dies in a gang fight and he falls out with Sonny, his second son. Meanwhile, Sonny and his friends intend to avenge Nig’s death but find themselves drawn deeper and deeper into the violence of gang life” - (New Zealand Listener, July 29, 2000)
“No matter how often the producers say it’s not a sequel, drawing comparisons with the phenomenal Warriors is unavoidable, and rewarding. The new film has a little less of the ad-director’s gloss, more of Ian Mune’s attention to the detail of character and location, and Alan Duff’s script pounds home his views on child- rearing [...] After an explosive opening, Duff’s script gets a bit lost in the bush, and it ends with an abruptness which looks like directorial desperation, but, overall, the gamble pays off. This film may not have the overseas success of its illustrious forerunner, but it should mean much more to us locals” - (Mark Derby, “The warrior strikes back”, City Voice, May 27,1999)
“If nothing else Broken Hearted proves the territory it covers still needs our care and attention as much today as it did when Warriors came out. In a country where the closest we usually get to airing our dirty laundry is after an All Black loss, the jolt is needed. It just comes as a bit of a shock to be rummaging through the bleakest corners of our culture in a cinema” - (Michael Lamb, “Sadness heart of sequel”, Sunday Star Times, May 23, 1999)