Hunt for the Wilderpeople

           The movie begins with Rickey Baker, a rebellious city kid being sent to live with a couple in the New Zealand outback. The authorities from Child Welfare describes Rickey as “a bit of a handful, a real bad egg”, however, throughout the movie, we can know that Rickey is actually not a bad boy, just neglected. His foster aunt Bella who is full of warmth and good spirits accepts Rickey without having qualm and assures him that it will be his new and final home. Even Rickey refuses to accept his new foster family at first, but little by little, Bella pierces his hard shell by her warmth and affection. Her every tiny gesture, like listening to his profane yet funny haiku poem and putting a warm water bottle on his bed every night, has make Ricky who has never had a family of his own really feel cared and loved. Although Bella only shows up in the front part of the movie, I believe we all can feel that her loving nature and affection for cast-offs are incredible and completely genuine.

The front part of the movie has focused on the mutual affection between Ricky and Bella. At that time, Hec still keeps his distance from Rickey. However, I would say the most interesting part of the movie is to see how the relationship between Ricky and Hec change from bad to good, and from good to better. This movie tells a story of growth, both for Ricky and his foster uncle Hec. The poorly matched duo run through the bush, and grow closer together over their shared hardship. Rickey learns to hunt, navigate and make camp. Hec learns to accept Rickey, and understand his growing affection for him. The time that Rickey and Hec spend in the bush, although it’s tough, they see it as an enjoyable and cathartic experience they could have hoped for. With each passing day, familiarity breeds affection between the two who at first don’t how to please and understand each other. We see emotional growth in both men, who gradually learns that it is okay to feel for others, and trust in others.

                The movie also reveals the fact that those with a criminal record are often stereotyped as “bad egg” and hard to be reintegrated into society. Like Ricky and Hec, they feel that they are outsiders who are abandoned by society. We know that if they are being arrested for running away will definitely have genuine consequences, and we feel their anxiety – Ricky fears that he will continue to be shuffled through disinterested foster families, and Hec will be imprisoned since he has criminal record. However, towards the end of the movie, the most valuable thing that we can find in both men is their affection and mutual appreciation for each other.