A man and a woman have an illicit quickie in a bathroom. The camera remains focused on their faces in medium close-up throughout, revealing no nudity, but the scene plays out in real-time (lasting approximately 60 seconds), heightening the sense of intimacy/immediacy.

In one scene a woman, under mounting stress and implicitly dealing with mental illness, snaps at her children and pushes one against a wall. The child is seen to be confused and upset - as is the mother herself, moments later.

The film depicts no violence on-screen, however, it's eight chapters are connected by implicit themes of domestic violence and child abuse.

People are seen drunk and drinking alcohol. These scenes are brief and do not "glamorize" or "normalize" such behavior.

WARU does not show any violence on-screen, but it's central theme of child abuse makes for some emotionally-wrenching material. There are several scenes set around a dead boy's tangi (funeral), which show his relatives in the throes of grief and blaming one another for his death, which some viewers may find intense or upsetting.