'We Were Dangerous' Review: Rebellion, Girlhood, and the Fire of Resistance
- Romey Norton
- May 14
- 3 min read
By Romey Norton - , 2025
What happens when you try to silence wild hearts? In We Were Dangerous, they scream louder.
Winner of the Special Jury Award for Filmmaking at SXSW 2024, We Were Dangerous is a thunderclap of a debut from director Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu—raw, lyrical, and pulsing with the spirit of rebellion. Set in 1954 on a remote island in Aotearoa (New Zealand), the film follows three Māori teenagers locked away in the Te Motu School for Incorrigible and Delinquent Girls, where Christianity is weaponized and conformity is demanded. But these girls aren’t here to be tamed.
While the school tries to convert them, reshape them, and make them "good girls", they resist with poetry, pranks, and fierce loyalty. It’s not just a coming-of-age story—it’s a coming-into-power story.
The film begins with a bunch of girls trying to escape the school, but they fail, being told their legs will heal but one of the girls is pregnant, so tighter restrictions must be enforced. We watch as the girls are treated poorly, experimented on, and looking to escape.
Narrated by their teacher/Matron, who wants these girls to be ready for marriage and live a better, more honest life. Her character is great, well spoken, honest and while a matriarch, there are levels of vulnerability. The language used to describe these young girls and women is infuriating - but that shows what strong, compelling script this film has. There are some comical moments, to help you show the girls bonding and trying to be their authentic selves, all to be beaten back down and conform to what this school deems a woman should be.
Erana James leads a ferocious young cast as one of the central trio, alongside breakout performances from Nathalie Morris and Manaia Hall. Together, they create a magnetic bond. Equal parts riotous, tender, and quietly devastating. Whether stealing secret glances, staging minor mutinies, or just trying to survive in a system built to erase them, their connection forms the emotional core of the film. The entire cast give excellent performances, which will have you engaged from start to finish. The girls are easily likeable, relatable and you can quickly build an allegiance as a viewer. I was genuinely worried about the character Daisy being hurt - luckily she wasn’t.
We Were Dangerous is steeped in the Māori experience, weaving cultural identity, colonial trauma, and the bonds of sisterhood into something vital and unforgettable. Stewart-Te Whiu handles the material with confidence beyond her years, letting the silence speak as loudly as the outbursts.
There are some beautiful visuals from sun-soaked hills, darkened dorms, and windswept coastlines that evoke both a sense of entrapment and the dream of freedom. Lovely aerial shots of the island, and the girls all laying in grass that surrounds it. Overall, the film is beautifully shot, and is complimented by an excellent soundtrack.
The ending is powerful, impacting and leaves you with a sense of hope. If you’re a fan of coming-of-age films like The Falling or Girlhood, but wish they had a bit more fury in their fists, We Were Dangerous is a must-watch. It's a cinematic rebellion, but it never loses its heart. With themes of resistance, friendship, and reclaiming power, it's a strong feminist piece that will stand the test of time. It teaches us that no one can dim your light and change who you really are - so don’t let them try.
We Were Dangerous is out now in US cinemas
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