HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE
Directed by Taika Waititi
Written by Barry Crump
Starring Julian Dennison, Sam Neill, Reima Te Wiata
A boy who’s been shuffled from foster home to foster home finds a nurturing environment with an older couple in the New Zealand bush. When his foster mother dies, the father (Neill) reluctantly takes in the boy. The social worker, assigned to the case, finds this arrangement, untenable and this leads to a long chase through the bush country. This is the plot in general but it fails to account for the humor, tenderness, and quirky characters the two runaways come upon. HUNT also has a great soundtrack, terrific cinematography, lovely sound editing and bravura performances by both Dennison and Neill. It’s portrait of a social worker is certainly harsh, but the role is played for laughs. Don’t look for realism here. There are a few gory scenes but mostly this is fun. And a lot of fun. Highly recommended.
Patti Abbott
