Hunt for the Wilderpeople 4K 2016 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

Ricky Baker is a chubby city delinquent. Paula, a social worker, takes the teenager to the countryside, where the only family willing to take him in lives—Bella and her reclusive husband, Hack. When Bella dies and child protective services are about to take Ricky away, he runs off into the woods, and Heck sets out after him. Paula is convinced that the strange Heck has lost his mind over his wife’s death and has kidnapped the teenager, so she launches a nationwide manhunt for the boy and his “abductor.”

Review 4K Movie

If you thought New Zealand was nothing but endless meadows, peacefully grazing sheep, and "The Lord of the Rings" movie sets, it’s time to broaden your horizons.

This is one of the few films from the island nation to have received a wide theatrical release. Of course, it wasn’t shown on the big screen in our country. And as it turned out, that was a real shame. In New Zealand, one in four residents saw the film. The film, based on the book "The Wild Boar and the Piglet", became a hit both in its home country and in the West following its resounding success at the Sundance Film Festival. So, compared to some lackluster blockbusters, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" looks extremely appealing. And here’s why.

The film’s director is Taika Waititi. Through him, the world has rediscovered New Zealand. Or, more precisely, it has been introduced to the country’s fresh outlook on life and sense of humor—so unlike Hollywood’s raunchy jokes and the staid British wit.

"Hunt for the Wilderpeople" is also a comedy. The plot, however, could serve as the basis for an excellent drama—troubled teenager Ricky Baker leaves an orphanage to live with the last family willing to take him in: Bella and her reclusive husband, Hec. Bella treats the boy as her own, but she suddenly dies a year later. Child protective services decides to return the boy to state custody—not to a children’s home, but to a juvenile detention center. So Ricky makes the only right decision: to flee into the bush, the jungle that stretches across millions of hectares. Heck sets out to find the boy and bring him back, while Paula, a woman from Child Protective Services, launches a manhunt for both of them. So the stepfather and son are forced to flee together, since the sullen Heck is already suspected of kidnapping and sexual abuse.

From the very first scenes, the film captivates with the authenticity of its characters. We’ve seen them all before. The humor here isn’t based on crude jokes or absurd situations, but on the relationships between the main characters.
At first, it seems they have nothing in common except the loss of a loved one. Hek is nearly 50; he served time for manslaughter and can’t read. Ricky is 13; he considers himself a real criminal, writes haiku, and loves the rapper Tupac. But they do have something in common—they couldn’t find their place in the world, and now both are trying to escape reality into the wild jungle.

Along the way, they’ll encounter three would-be hunters, a family living deep in the bush, and an eccentric in a bush costume.

Not everyone will play a positive role in the fugitives’ fate, but they’ll definitely be closer to our hearts than the caricature of a government whose sole goal is to close the case and lock the boy away in a juvenile detention center.

The film was shot primarily in the bush, and that’s another plus—the abundance of wild nature. Lush greenery, gigantic hills, mountain rivers, waterfalls, lakes, and endless steppes—all of this looks absolutely stunning in January, when the eye longs for greenery and the body craves the warmth of the sun.

The film is reminiscent of Wes Anderson’s *The Royal Tenenbaums*. It’s the same story of an orphan coming of age, even if he’s on the run with an old man rather than a girl. It explores the same themes of coming of age and intergenerational friendship. It’s an ode to those who understand and accept you without trying to reform or change you. An ode to family—sometimes strange, but delightfully close-knit. The similarity in themes doesn’t make the film derivative; rather, it reveals a different side of it. And it poses a whole series of questions for the viewer. How do you replace toilet paper in an impenetrable forest? How do you survive if you accidentally eat your entire week’s rations? And what do you do if it’s just the two of you against an entire search party?

Recommended for anyone who’s ever wanted to escape into the wild woods but, quite by accident, ended up with a college degree and has been working in a stuffy office for years.