Vincent Ward weaves drama with documentary to unravel the extraordinary story of Puhi, the Tuhoe woman who welcomed the young filmmaker into her home in 1978. Ward made the observational film In Spring One Plants Alone about Puhi’s day-to-day life in the remote Urewera Ranges. By then almost 80, she was obsessively caring for her schizophrenic adult son Niki, whose violent fits terrified her. In this new cinema feature Ward sets out to unravel the mystery that has haunted him for 30 years: Who was Puhi?

And why was she so obsessed with this last remaining son?

Rain of the Children is a cinema feature film which has been described as Vincent Ward’s most personal film ever. Narrating and appearing on camera himself, Ward tells of his journey to uncover the story of Puhi, the Tuhoe woman he filmed in the late 1970s. It is spiked with drama scenes featuring Puhi’s young relatives acting alongside some of New Zealand’s best-known actors, bringing Puhi’s story to life.