Day 11 Hunt
for the Wilderpeople [2016]
Screenplay Taika Waititi
Based on 'Wild Pork and Watercress' by Barry Crump
Director Taika Waititi
Cinematography Lachlan Milne
Music
Composition Lukasz Buda, Samuel
Scott, Conrad Wedde
Leads Sam Neill, Julian
Dennison, Rhys Darby.
Production Defender Films, Piki
Films, Curious.
IMDb 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes 97%
It
was Sunday. So I picked one of my favourite films of last year, if
not all time. It is so original. It follows troubled youth Ricky Baker, a fat
kid who dreams of being a gangster, (brilliantly played by Dennison) as he is
sent to live with foster parents. His foster ‘auntie’ is hilarious, as is the
child services carer and her police escort Andy. Ricky tries to run away but
fails and forms a bond with his ‘auntie’ until she sadly dies. He then runs
away for real but is tracked by his ‘uncle’ Hector (Sam Neill). I won’t explain
the whole film but it is hilarious. Julian Dennison is fantastic and Neill
plays the stubborn uncle role to perfection. I think the genius of this film is
originality and New Zealand. The landscape and the accents are incredible.
Comedy is something the Kiwis do well and there’s even an excellent cameo from
Rhys Darby who I’ve always found hilarious. This is a film that may have evaded
you so go find it and watch it, you will not be disappointed.
Acting 3 / 4
Writing 4 / 4
Cinematography 3 / 4
Music 3 / 4
HWF rating 3.5 / 4