Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

NZ theatrical release poster
Directed by Taika Waititi
Produced by
Screenplay by Taika Waititi
Based on Wild Pork and Watercress
by Barry Crump
Starring
Music by
  • Lukasz Buda
  • Samuel Scott
  • Conrad Wedde
Cinematography Lachlan Milne
Edited by
Production
companies
  • Defender Films
  • Piki Films
  • Curious
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 22 January 2016 (2016-01-22) (Sundance)
  • 31 March 2016 (2016-03-31) (New Zealand; theatrical)
Running time
 101 minutes[1]
Country New Zealand
Language English
Budget US$3 million[2]
Box office US$23.2 million[3]

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a 2016 New Zealand adventure comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi. Carthew Neal, Leanne Saunders and Matt Noonan co-produced the film, based on the book Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump.[4] Sam Neill and Julian Dennison play "Uncle" Hector and Ricky Baker, a father figure and son who become the targets of a manhunt after fleeing into the New Zealand bush.

The film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2016.[5] The film opened across New Zealand on 31 March 2016.[6][7][8] The film received a limited North American release on 24 June 2016.[9]

Plot

Ricky Baker (Dennison), a juvenile delinquent who was abandoned by his mother, is taken by child welfare services officer Paula and police officer Andy to live in a remote farm with foster mother Bella and her husband, the cantankerous Hec (Neill). Hec is remote, but Bella quickly manages to break through Ricky's defensive shell by taking him hunting and giving him a puppy for his birthday, which he names Tupac after his idol Tupac Shakur.

When Bella suddenly passes away and Hec tells Ricky that child services will take him back, Ricky ineptly fakes his suicide by burning a barn and runs away into the bush with Tupac, where he is completely unable to cope and gets lost. Hec finds him easily but injures his leg in a fall, forcing the two to camp for a period of time. The authorities meanwhile have found the house empty and the barn burnt down, and come to the conclusion that the bereaved and mentally unstable Hec has abducted Ricky. The impression is strengthened after an encounter with three foolish hunters who get the idea that Hec is abusing Ricky sexually. Hec reveals to Ricky that he has served prison time for manslaughter and is illiterate. Ricky in turn says his only friend in care has died and that he will not return into the system. The pair agree to disappear into the bush.

A national manhunt ensues, and the two slowly bond while working together to escape arrest. They scatter Bella's ashes into a remote lake as per her wishes. After four months of surviving in the wilderness and several close calls, they are finally caught following a car and helicopter chase and Ricky accidentally shoots Hec in the buttock. Hec gets remanded and Ricky is taken in by a kind family he met while on the run. After Hec's release from jail, Ricky, with his new foster family's permission, returns to the bush with Hec to photograph the huia, an extinct bird which they had re-discovered during their time on the run.

Cast

Production

Waititi first began to adapt the book Wild Pork and Watercress in 2005, and completed multiple different drafts.[10] The early drafts stayed true to the book, with characters dying, however this was revised in later versions.[11] Julian Dennison was cast by Waititi from earlier work they did together on a commercial.[12]

The film had a budget of approximately NZ$4.5 million,[12][13] of which $2 million came from the New Zealand Film Commission.

The film was filmed over 5 weeks, and was shot in locations including the Central Plateau and the Waitakere Ranges.[14] Almost the entire film was shot on a single camera.

Release

The film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2016 and was released in cinemas on 31 March 2016 in New Zealand by Madman Entertainment and The Orchard. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in America on 25 October 2016 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

The soundtrack was released on 8 April 2016 by Majestical Pictures Ltd.

Reception

Box office

The film grossed NZD$1,263,000 in New Zealand on its opening weekend, the highest grossing opening weekend for a New Zealand film, ahead of What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?'s $912,000.[8][nb 1] It has become the highest grossing New Zealand film, making NZD$12,022,005.

Internationally, as of October 2016 the film has grossed $10,935,319 (AUD) in Australia, in UK $507,380 (USD) and $5,137,201 (USD) in North America.

Critical response

Hunt for the Wilderpeople has received widespread critical acclaim. The film was certified "fresh" by Rotten Tomatoes, after it scored a rating of 98%, based on 149 reviews, with an average user rating of 7.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "The charmingly offbeat Hunt for the Wilderpeople unites a solid cast, a talented filmmaker, and a poignant, funny, deeply affecting message."[15] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 81 out of 100, based on 30 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[16] Praise was directed at Neill and Dennison for their acting. In his review, Hamish Popplestone remarked: 'Though both flawed, Neill’s and Dennison’s characters are so, so charming on-screen and are fully apt at weaving through the dramatic, comedic, and sad points of the script.' [17] Empire magazine named Hunt for the Wilderpeople the number one film for 2016.[18]

Notes

  1. ↑ While the films of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies had higher grossing opening weekends, they do not meet the definition of a New Zealand film per the New Zealand Film Commission Act 1978.

References

  1. ↑ "Hunt for the Wilderpeople (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Hunt for the Wilderpeople': New Zealand's Oddball Hit". The Wall Street Journal. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  3. ↑ "Hunt for the Wilderpeople". The-Numbers. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  4. ↑ https://twitter.com/wilderpeople
  5. ↑ Harvey, Dennis. "Sundance Film Review: 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople'". Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "Hunt for the Wilderpeople takes top spot at the Kiwi box office". New Zealand Film Commission. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  7. ↑ "Hunt for the Wilderpeople continues smashing NZ box office records". Stuff.co.nz. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Hunt for the Wilderpeople breaks Kiwi box office records". Stuff.co.nz. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  9. ↑ http://m.imdb.com/title/tt4698684/
  10. ↑ "Taika Waititi Talks Wilderpeople and Ragnarok". ComingSoon.net. 2016-07-19. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  11. ↑ "Next big thing: 'Wilderpeople' director about to hit mainstream with 'Thor' sequel". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  12. 1 2 "Taika Waititi: "Hunt For The Wilderpeople" Isn't So Different From "Thor: Ragnarok"". Co.Create. 2016-07-22. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  13. ↑ "Hunt for the Wilderpeople sets new box office record". New Zealand Herald. 2016-04-04. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  14. ↑ "The Terminator Pig". Stuff. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  15. ↑ "Hunt For the Wilderpeople". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  16. ↑ "Hunt For the Wilderpeople". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  17. ↑ http://salient.org.nz/2016/04/hunt-for-the-wilderpeople/
  18. ↑

External links

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