Director: Taika Waititi
Stars: Sam Neill, Julian Dennison
7.5/10
This adventure-comedy made in New Zealand pairs Sam Neill as a crusty rural-dweller with a young teenager in and out of foster homes. The boy runs away into the rain forest where Neill tracks him down, only to injure his leg in so doing. Locals send out a search party but the eccentric pair evade them and go deeper into the wilderness.
This leads the locals to think the man has abducted the boy. Rumors of abuse swirl and scores of police and soldiers get involved. The hunt goes on for several months. The hunted duo of course develop a measure of respect for one another and the wayward youth learns skills. Each side in the hunt humorously uses idioms from movies, television, and hip-hop music as no one has any experience with what’s going on.
Along the way we see a handful of equally eccentric rural-dwellers as this part of N Zealand might remind Americans of Montana. Lovely looks of the rain forest and fauna make the film all the more enjoyable. Many of the characters are Maori, including the boy, but nothing is made of it. The director too is Maori.
© 2020 Brian M Downing
Brian M Downing is a national security analyst who’s written for outlets across the political spectrum. He studied at Georgetown University and the University of Chicago, and did post-graduate work at Harvard’s Center for International Affairs. Thanks as ever to Susan Ganosellis.