Mārama

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Mārama

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1h 29m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

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26 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

1859, North Yorkshire. When young Māori woman Mary arrives from New Zealand, she's trapped as governess to a wealthy whaler's granddaughter. Living among her ancestors' stolen artifacts, she uncovers Sir Cole's horrific crimes. Embracing her Matakite powers, Mary becomes Mārama and must save Anne and avenge her family by destroying him.

Carlos Aguilar

RogerEbert.com

4d

2.5/4

The fury of Osborne’s performance, nonetheless, keeps ‘Mārama' a worthy anti-colonialist statement that harnesses the symbolic virtues of genre cinema for its understandably virulent tone.

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Wendy Ide

Screen International

Oct 2

Exposition revealing the grim truth about Nathaniel’s link to Mary and her family can feel a little blunt at times, and the flow of the story is uneven. But there are moments of shocking potency.

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Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

Sep 24

Stappard has a strong sense of the genre, refining an atmosphere of dread instead of relying on jump scares or loud noises.

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Sharai Bohannon

NightTide Magazine

17h

4/5

Stappard’s script feels like being stabbed in the heart repeatedly. Meanwhile, his direction is beguilingly gorgeous. The film might seem unassuming, but it has teeth as it navigates these ideas.

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Bee Delores

B-Sides & Badlands

20h

5/5

Stappard pulls threads from a long history of trauma—specifically rooted in the colonized Aotearoa New Zealand—to create a story that will shake you to your core.

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Joel Copling

Spectrum Culture

1d

Mārama's New Zealand ghost story is anchored by its infuriating and devastating context and Ariāna Osborne’s performance.

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Uriah Wesman

13h

Outstanding Gothic Horror. With some brilliant shots. Highly recommend

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jose c

4d

We loved the story. It was tragic and haunting. A great gothic horror to add to the collection.

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Taratoa Stappard

Director

Ariāna Osborne

Mary

Toby Stephens

Nathaniel Cole

Umi Myers

Peggy

Evelyn Towersey

Anne

Erroll Shand

Jack Fenton

Mārama: Trailer 1

2:07

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Synopsis

1859, North Yorkshire. When young Māori woman Mary arrives from New Zealand, she's trapped as governess to a wealthy whaler's granddaughter. Living among her ancestors' stolen artifacts, she uncovers Sir Cole's horrific crimes. Embracing her Matakite powers, Mary becomes Mārama and must save Anne and avenge her family by destroying him.

Director: Taratoa Stappard
Producer: Sharlene George, RickyLee Waipuka-Russell, Rouzie Hassanova, Paraone Gloyne
Screenwriter: Taratoa Stappard
Distributor: Dark Sky Films / Watermelon Pictures
Production Co: MPI Media Group, Sweetshop Entertainment, Vendetta Films
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 17, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 1h 29m