Hunt for the Wilderpeople, based on the book by Barry Crump

Hunt for the Wilderpeople, based on the book by Barry Crump

Hunt for the Wilderpeople has won the award for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Actor in 2017

Alas, there were not the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTAs or the most important of all…

                The Cannes Film Festival

This admirable, warm, fresh, amusing, entertaining, interesting, provoking motion picture has won the aforementioned prizes at the…

                New Zealand Film and TV Awards

It is the story of two people who live at the edge of, or even outside society, because they do not adapt.

Ricky Baker is a boy who seems to be eight or nine, who arrives at the home of foster parents Bella and Hector, although the latter divulges that, it was actually the former who wanted the boy in her house.

Ricky does not know his father, and his mother has abandoned him, perhaps because she was too young.

Bella tries to get close to the boy who is known for running away from various foster parents, rebel as he is.

Although an endearing, wonderful comedy, there are some scary scenes, an early one involving Bella, who kills a wild boar with tremendous toughness.

However, she soon dies unexpectedly, not before giving a special birthday gift to the boy, a nice dog.

                “Bella: [after Ricky gets a dog] What are you gonna call him?

Ricky Baker: I'm still thinking. Something fierce to reflect its true nature. Either Psycho, Megatron or Tupac.

Bella: What's a Tupac?

Well…a rapper, we are best friends…”

After his spouse dies, hector aka Hec – played by the fantastic Sam Neill- tells the boy that he will return him to the orphanage.

However, the intrepid, incredibly smart and resilient Ricky would have none of that and he stages his suicide, to cover his tracks.

When Hec follows him in the woods, the social services are puzzled to find no child, no parent and a burned down shed with a suicide note attached near, suggesting something strange had happened.

Reluctant Hec hurts his leg and the antagonist couple spends some time in the woods, until they reach a cabin.

This is where they find that the police follow them and Hector is wanted and suspected of having abducted and potentially harmed the boy.

Ricky has to read the notice, for the old man has not learned to read, even if he is very good at life in the wild.

There are quite a few jocular scenes, one of which has a police officer announcing a ten thousand dollar reward for capturing the two fugitives…dead or alive, he first says, only to correct it to…alive, yes, we need them alive.

In the cabin, Hec and Ricky meet three hunters who ask the boy about what happened, if the man abused him.

Very clever and cheeky hero easily understands this is the moment where he can pay his companion for his intention of returning him to the orphanage and whatever else was wrong in his attitude.

So he says “he made me do stuff”…which you obviously understand how it was interpreted and a fight quickly ensues.

Hector is accused of being a pervert, he jumps to make the man pay the insult, and it is Ricky with a gun that has to end the beating.

Ricky and the man who has become his friend now, Hector, together with their two dogs, Zac and Tupac roam the forest.

Alas, a wild, but evidently mechanical, wild boar attacks them and the dogs try their best to defend their masters.

At the last moment, the Super Hero Child Ricky holds up his gun and kills the animal that lands two centimeters away from Hec.

Unfortunately, the wild boar kills Zac and Hector is devastated by the life of his longtime friend.

The Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a fabulous, enjoyable independent film.