Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Sam Neil, Julian Dennison, Rima Te Wiata, Rachel House, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne, Oscar Kightley, Stan Walker, Mike Minogue, Cohen Holloway, Rhys Darby, Troy Kingi, Taika Waititi, Hamish Parkinson, Stu Giles.
In Sam Neil the cinema has had one of strongest and most consistent actors of the last 50 years, a man who can easily transfer himself between the rigours of being part of a great film and the sideshow that television sometimes provides. It has always been something of an honour to watch his complex character unfold, and even in films that haven’t quite hit the mark, he still retains that genuine affection from the forgiving cinema goer.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is no exception, beautifully captured on film, the dialogue between Sam Neill and Julian Dennison captivating and one that sears itself into the heart, the cinematography lush and expansive and throughout the time on screen never detracts from the point of the film of being the emotional backdrop, the familiar place we all want to run too when the world is against us and the joy of seeing someone realise that the world is not for consuming, it is to be savoured and saved.
Taika Waititi’s screenplay pays homage not only to Barry Crump’s original book but also to a way of life that has become lost in the search for the ever more consuming user. In Sam Neil’s lost soul Hec, a man to whom the Bush is more beautiful than anything else on Earth except his wife, the watcher realises that not everything has to be owned to be enjoyed, that not every child raised with such ideals is not unfortunate.
Julian Dennison as the tearaway and battered by the system Ricky Baker is an absolute delight, one of the enjoyable performances of the cinematic year. His portrayal of the let down by society young man is one to appreciate and one that is just the start of great things for the young actor.
A gem of a film, unpretentious, fulfilling and one steeped in delight and pathos, Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a fiercely in tune with times film and one that must never be taken by anybody else as untamed or made domesticated for another market; it is truly perfect as it is.
Ian D. Hall