Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) 5 out of 5 stars

Directed by Taika Waititi
Starring Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rima Te Wiata, Rachel House, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne
Runtime: 101 minutes

Me and this fat kid/We ran, we ate, and read books/And it was the best—Hec Faulkner

Ricky Baker (Dennison) is a troubled kid from the city. Shuffled around from foster home to foster home all over New Zealand, all he wants to do is be a gangster. As a last resort, the Department of Child Welfare sends him to go live in the bush with bubbly Bella (Te Wiata) and grumpy Hec (Neill). After an initial escape attempt, Ricky learns to love life in the bush. But when tragedy strikes, and the Department of Child Welfare, led by the formidable social worker Paula (House), threatens to take Ricky away, Ricky and Hec escape into the bush, beginning a months-long national manhunt.

Hec (Neill) and Ricky (Dennison) hide from the police in the bush of New Zealand.

So, this is basically Up but set in New Zealand and without a floating house. Which is fine by me. It is so delightful, in literally every way. This is the first Taika Waititi film I’ve seen, and his direction reminds me a lot of Wes Anderson: the wacky soundtrack, the methodical quick-cut shots, irreverent but relatable characters, the undercut humor. This is the first first-watch to make me laugh out loud in a while.

It’s rare for me to watch a film and realize that every person on screen is there, perfectly. Everyone—from Sam Neill’s Hec, to Rhys Darby‘s Psycho Sam (a weird bushman who is hiding from the government) to the lady who whispers “…Jesus?” to answer a minister’s question about what’s behind tough-to-get-through doors—felt perfectly in place for driving the film’s narrative. It was an uniquely cohesive watching experience.

Waititi’s brilliant cameo as a minister

The brilliance of this film comes from the camaraderie between Hec and Ricky. They both have funny interactions with the rest of the cast, but the humanity and the heartfelt sincerity of the film comes from these two, obviously. Like I said earlier, this is basically Up just in New Zealand. It’s just such a sweet story.

Fun fact: In the birthday scene, the cast and crew filmed ten takes singing the normal “Happy Birthday” song before finding out they didn’t have the rights to use it. So the song “Ricky Baker, It’s your Birthday” was created on the spot by the actors.  

Why you should watch it: ITS UP IN NEW ZEALAND.

Why you shouldn’t: Not a fan of Kiwi accents? This film is not for you.