Discoveries from Kiribati World Cinema

The Republic of Kiribati is one of the most isolated places in the Pacific and because of this it has been possible for its people to retain much of their traditional way of life. In this film, made on Tabiteuea Island four years after independence, we witness a special three-day ritual dating from pre-colonial times, in which Manerrua – a schoolgirl of 14 – celebrates her first menstruation

In order to marry the woman he loves, a village youth must prove that the curse on the men in his family has been dispelled by winning the island dance competition. He eventually learns that the curse is not black magic after all, but alcoholism.