Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Director: Taika Waititi
Talent: Sam Neil, Julian Dennison, Rhys Darby, Rachel House, Rima Te Wiata
Release Date: 16th September
Ricky (Dennison) is taken in by his Aunt Bella (Te Wiata) and Uncle Hec (Neil) at their home in the middle of the the sprawling New Zealand bush. The new arrangement seems promising; after years of bouncing between foster homes, Ricky has finally found the stability and unconditional love he was deprived of in childhood. This is, however, until Aunt Bella dies suddenly and Child Welfare express their intention to take Ricky back into care. Rather than be taken from a place to which he has become attached, Ricky flees, leaving Uncle Hec no other choice but to chase after him and inadvertently spawning a nationwide man hunt for the pair.
The pair’s adventure is coloured by homage to the action movie and gangster rap tropes with which Ricky is obsessed, pop culture seeming to have been the escapism upon which he relied during his years in the welfare system. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is sweet and endearingly wacky without ever feeling mawkish due its back beat of irreverent and offbeat humour.
Words: Eva Short
