Welcome back to another issue of Your Movie Mage, where I discuss underrated movies across genres. Last week, we discussed the low-budget and depressing “On the Count of Three.” This week, we’ll be talking about the lesser-known low-budget dramedy, “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.”
“Hunt for the Wilderpeople” manages to balance dry humor with heartfelt moments in a beautifully shot film written and directed by Taika Waititi. In classic Waititi manner, he creates characters that draw in viewers as we learn more about them through seemingly simple plots.
Waititi’s films are heavily character-based, though this movie has an interesting storyline following a fostered boy, Ricky Baker, played by Julian Dennison, as he struggles to find his place in this world and find love from parent figures. These are Hec, played by Sam Neill, and Bella, played by Rima Te Wiata.
Viewers also see the two main characters grieving during the majority of the film as they learn to love and care about one another. Ricky captures the tendency for hurt kids to hide behind a shell, scared to allow people in and trust others. Ricky, upon finally trusting enough to accept love and love back, is thrown into another unfortunate situation in which he ultimately decides to run from foster care, knowing he’s exhausted all of his options.
The audience can experience the beautiful scenery of New Zealand, as this film is predominantly filmed in “the bush.” The way the film was shot was nice but different from Waititi’s other movies.
The interesting locations elevate the movie, such as the house we see at the beginning of the film. The fact that they managed to make the movie as interesting as it was while filming the majority in the woods is a testament to Waititi’s storytelling abilities and the acting abilities of all involved.
Something Waititi does very well is create child characters in his films that feel real and have depth like many other child characters in films. He does so in other films such as “Boy” and “Jojo Rabbit.” He’s able to write characters like Ricky as more than one dimensional. They’re kids with faults, certainly, but the film highlights that children want to feel loved, be understood and be accepted despite whatever front they may put on.
This crucial understanding separates his movies from others featuring stories through the eyes of young people. It’s clear that Waititi has a desire to tell these stories and pays close attention to the characters and their development more than anything.
This movie is also very quotable, with classic New Zealand Kiwi humor and dry delivery. Every time I watch it, I laugh throughout. As mentioned, Waititi is a master at balancing humor with sad and heartfelt scenes.
We see many actors that Waititi uses in other projects such as Rachel House who plays Paula in this film. She’s also in “Boy,” “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Next Goal Wins” and “Eagle vs Shark.” She does an amazing job as the foster care worker attempting to track down Ricky.
With a budget of about $2.5 million, “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” is relatively low budget, making it all the more impressive. Waititi didn’t use any big names to draw attention to the film. He is able to create amazing films no matter what the budget is, and this movie is a prime example of that. When Waititi has a vision, he brings it to life.
Waititi has made numerous of my favorite movies and “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” is one of them. The acting is great by everyone, the writing is fun and balanced, and the story is engaging and interesting. I give this movie an underratedness score of 3.5/5.
It is loved by many, but it deserves much more recognition and appreciation. Some of Waititi’s older work is overshadowed by his more recent films, which is a travesty seeing as those early movies are gems.