Hunt for the Wilderpeople – movie review

Talk about a breath of fresh air. Every now and again a film comes along that you have heard nothing about and it restores your faith in originality. Such is the case with Hunt for the Wilderpeople, a decidedly quirky coming-of-age tale.

In and out of foster care his whole life, rebellious, chubby 13-year-old Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison – Paper Planes) is delivered by Paula from Social Welfare (Rachel House) into the hands of his new foster ‘Aunt’ Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and ‘Uncle’ Hec (Sam Neill). They live in a remote part of New Zealand on the edge of native bushland. Convinced this is just another family who will give up caring and ship him on to the next home, Ricky is surprised when he senses that Aunty Bella actually offers him something more, even if Uncle Hec is a little harder to get on with. But things take a turn for the worse (or the better, depending upon your perspective) when this defiant young city kid finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle.

Writer and director Taika Waititi first came into contact with the Hunt for the Wilderpeople project in 2005. That is when executive producer Charlie McClellan employed the then “writer for hire” to adapt Barry Crump’s classic tale Wild Pork and Watercress into a feature film script. Waititi duly delivered a script to McClellan, but ultimately is stayed shelved for years. In 2013 a meeting with the Crump family put the rights for a film version of the book back on the table and rekindled Waititi’s fire for the project.

Waititi has always been attracted to stories of the outsider, the rebel, who lives in the margins. In this case, it takes two outsiders from different backgrounds to work together to stand independent and free of society’s unfair regulations. Whether they’re justified in their mission isn’t important – the mere fact they’re trying to fight for something is why the story stayed with Waititi. Waititi formed a bond with Barry Crump’s son, Martin, and gained the Crump family’s blessing to tell the story on screen.

First up the locales are simply astounding. It made me want to go online and book a holiday to the wilds of New Zealand immediately. Secondly, the script – what a piece of work – fun, fanciful and funny, oh so entertaining. Thirdly, the performances – the young kid is cinematic dynamite. His cherubic face and his ability to deliver toxic lines with deadpan expression make him one to watch. Sam Neill does grizzled mighty effectively and his approach to love and reticent love are just what the doctor ordered. And then there is Rima Te Wiata, playing his wife, whose sweet as apple pie visage belies a predatory instinct … all done for laughs, of course.

There are laughs aplenty but also a great deal of heart and warmth in the screenplay. Hunt of the Wilderpeople is a rare gem that is highly deserving of praise and box office success. Rated PG, it scores an 8 to 8½ out of 10.

Director: Taika Waititi
Cast: Julian Dennison, Sam Neill, Rachel House, Rhys Darby, Stan Walker
Release Date: 26 May, 2016
Rating: PG – Mild themes and coarse language

Alex First