PG, 104 minutes

3 Stars

Review by © Jane Freebury

In this documentary from New Zealand, full of heart, a young tenor shares the story of his journey from his Pacific island home to leading roles in the opera houses of Europe and the US.  The route to his success has been unusual, but the end result could not have occurred without such formidable talent.

Pene Pati was born into a Samoan family that moved to South Auckland during his early years. As the eldest son, he felt his responsibilities keenly, putting the interests of others ahead of his own. While he may feel alone at the top now, when he was starting out, he felt safest with members of his family alongside him on stage. Including the younger brother, Amitai Pati, his companion on stage, who has also been recognised as a gifted tenor.

Music was in Pene’s blood and integral to life in the Samoan community in which he grew up, especially choral music in church. One of his earliest gigs was singing to old folks in the retirement where his parents worked as nurses. A gig that lasted for years for him and his brother, and an experience that seemed to help his retiring personality become accustomed to performance. You just were not allowed to be shy.

A touching, uplifting documentary

It becomes clear in the busy opening scenes shot amongst the Pati family and friends, that Pene Pati Senior, his father, has been a strong and strict influence. Dutiful son and role model, Pene the younger, was expected to contribute to the household and gardening chores, and still is whenever he is home. Help with preparing meals and a spot of mowing do seem to have instilled a disciplined work ethic that translated well into what’s needed for a burgeoning international career.

There is plenty of archival material, including videotape of Pene when he was young. Performing in the old folks’ home, taking part in a school production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore. When he was extracted from the school rugby team to take part, others began to wake up to his gifts.

It is a feature of Pene’s journey, that coaches, mentors and directors were prepared to take a risk with his fabulous voice and stage presence.

Being introduced to the Three Tenors helped Pene but it was catching a performance of La bohème, particularly the heart-rending scene in which Mimi dies, when he really lost himself to opera. He had begun a science degree, but that immersive moment was one of several career milestones along the way.

A stunning talent who hails from Samoa, and his life journey

The rest is history? Not quite. After winning the national aria contest in 2009, he formed a music trio with his brother Amitai and cousin Moses. Sol3 Mio would help them raise funds to train in Cardiff, Wales. Their sound, based on their classical training, popular music and Samoan music, was a huge success.

In an astonishing move, Pene opted to remain a member of Sol3 Mio, declining the role of the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto with the San Francisco opera. An opportunity that he was able to pick up again when he applied for it two years later.

Luck was with him on other occasions as well. When a principal playing the lead came down with Covid on the morning of the opening night of Roméo and Juliette in Paris. Pene, who knew the part and had just arrived in nearby Amsterdam, was offered the role of the romantic lead. The French director, still enthusing over Pene’s expressive, lyric tenor voice and his physical performance, recalls that he brought the house down.  In terms of physique and the colour and timbre of his lyrical voice, Pene Pati is compared with the great tenor Luciano Pavarotti, after all.

If only we could have seen more of the operatic performances and more of the work from Sol3 Mio trio, too. At least we get to watch Pene do the wonderful aria, Nessum Dorma in full, during a recording session in Bordeaux. Fewer talking heads would have been better too, offering a more cinematic vision by showing us more and telling us less.

All in all, writer-director Rebecca Tansley has captured some lovely moments here in this touching, uplifting doco about a stunning talent and his life journey.

Also published in the Canberra Times (24 July 2026), other Australian Community Media mastheads, and Rotten Tomatoes