Hunt for the Wilderpeople: a Familiar Story Made New
“Uncle, you’re basically a criminal now. But on the bright side, you’re famous.”
Date watched: July 2, 2020
Date released: 2016
Director: Taika Waititi
Cast: Sam Neil (Hec Faulkner), Julian Dennison (Ricky Baker), Rima Te Wiata (Bella M. Faulkner), Rachel House (Paula Hall)
Hunt for the Wilderpeople has won a total of 22 awards.
As soon as the credits began to roll I opened my top ten list and added Hunt for the Wilderpeople. I have been fascinated with Taika Waititi’s work since I first discovered it in 2018. Although Hunt for the Wilderpeople has been on my list for over a year, I never quite got around to it. I finally got a chance to watch it, and I can safely say that it not only met, but exceeded, my expectations.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is not necessarily a new story. The story follows Ricky, a young boy who has spent his entire life in foster care, and his adoptive father Hec. After the death of his adoptive mother, Ricky and Hec find themselves on the run from the police. It’s easy to write off as a story of a troubled boy looking for a role model, but Waititi makes it feel so fresh.
The film never compromises its roots of comedy to try and preach a message. Often coming of age stories similar to Hunt for the Wilderpeople feel the need to explicitly state their larger significance to the audience, causing the film to fall into clichés and feel unnatural. Waititi instead chooses to focus on his characters- allowing Ricky and Hec to control the story.
Another way Waititi is able to make the story feel fresh is through his unique form of storytelling. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is split up into 11 chapters- each chapter representing a new development in the story of Ricky and Hec. While this may seem distracting to the immersive of the film it actually works in the opposite way. The chapters simply work to engage the audience and challenge their assumptions. Each chapter title causes the audience to hypothesize about what is to come, although that will not always be proven correct. A few words in a chapter title can not summarize the experience, just as Ricky’s reputation as a trouble-maker can not be used to summarize him as a person. It’s an important reminder to not judge a book by its cover. Similarly, this book-like structure directly juxtaposes Hec’s illiteracy with Ricky’s love of poetry, further depicting the difference between these two unlikely friends.
Ultimately, despite its simple, and possibly predictable, story the film never loses its audience’s attention. Through its comedic timing, amusing soundtrack, and talented actors Hunt for the Wilderpeople becomes an instant success.
Rating: 5/5
Waititi’s story should be implemented as the blueprint for a coming-of-age story.
This film is featured at spot 6 in my top ten films of all-time list.
August 18, 2020