Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

When asked why he made a documentary about the lives of vampires What We Do in the Shadows (2014) New Zealand director and writer Taika Waititi responded by saying  ‘I always liked the idea that vampires were a metaphor for marginalised groups; immigrants, homosexuals, anyone who’s had to live in the shadows of society.’  His latest movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) is also about people marginalised by society.

Child Welfare!

This time we are in modern day New Zealand, a police car draws up outside a remote farm on the edge of the bush country, a young 13 year old boy Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) emerges from the vehicle along side the child welfare officer Paula (Rachel House) and Andy (Oscar Kightley) a police man. Ricky has been in foster care all his young life after his mother abandoned him, never really settling into any of his foster homes and is described by Paula as a troublesome juvenile delinquent. This latest placement is with the kind hearted Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and her rather grumpy husband Hec (brilliantly played by the great Sam Neill). The bond between Bella and Ricky develops at a pace and the young boy begins to settle into his new home. That is until Bella suddenly passes away and Child Services informs Hec that because of the change in circumstances the lad must be returned into their care. Ricky fakes his death and runs away into the bush along with Tupac the dog that Bella has given him for his birthday.  He gets lost and is unable to cope until Hec finds him with the intension of returning him to the authorities but when Hec injures his leg the pair have to rest up in the bush for some weeks. Meanwhile Paula has returned to the farm to look for the boy and finds the place empty and the barn burnt down. She immediately jumps to the conclusion that Hec has become unstable following the death of his wife and has abducted the boy. A national manhunt ensues with a reward being offered for the return of Ricky.

 

Ricky meets the kindly Bella.

Hec and Ricky go walkabout. 

Adapted by the director from a book Wild Pork and Watercress by author Barry Crump it’s a story about human nature and how two very different lost souls, one an institutionalised child who thinks he’s a budding young gangster and the other a bush hardened old man who can’t read and write and would rather be on his own and not have to speak to anyone, who form a respectful and loving father and son type relationship. This is a gorgeous movie that allows compassion and feeling while entertaining its audiences with a brilliantly funny dialog and a wonderfully over the top climax. This can be seen on Netflix as well as DVD so there’s no excuse not to see this wonderful rare feel-good movie that does not need a sick bucket. 

What We Do in the Shadows.

Every few years a Secret Society in New Zealand gathers for a special event: The Unholy Masquerade. In the months leading up to the ball, a documentary crew was granted full access to a small group of this Society. Each crewmember had to wear a crucifix and was granted protection by the subjects of the film.   In 2012, New Zealand's best well-known documentarians, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi teamed up to follow this small group of Wellington-based Vampires. Yes, actual vampires. Real ones!

 

Viago.

The 8000 year old Petyr.

The resulting documentary is a raw, unflinching look at the lives of the undead community, with no stone left unturned; from hunting victims and draining them of their blood to more mundane activities like paying rent and keeping the house tidy we learn interesting facts like vampires don’t do dishes. What We Do in the Shadows (2014) documents the struggles of four undead friends originally from Central Europe who flat share. Narrated by Viago the dandy of the group who is 379-year’s young who introduces us to the others. The oldest and senior member of the group is the misanthropist 8000-year-old Petyr who could have easily been the template for Count Orlok seen in F W Murnau’s 1922 German expressionist horror movie Nosferatu. Next we have Viadislav an 862-year-old sexual pervert and lady-killer and then we are introduced to the bad boy of the group Deacon who is a modest 183 years old and one of Hitler’s ex-Nazi vampire squad. Featured in the documentary are Deacon’s human servant Jackie who runs errands and cleans up victim’s blood and body parts for the vampires, helping to keep some resemblance of order to the flat, and the IT wiz kid Stu who inhabits a central role in the film as a human who our vampires have taken a liking too and have agreed not to eat, proving that although vampires primarily kill people to survive they are still kind of likable?

 

Viadislav. 

The bad boy of the group Deacon doing what no vampire should be forced to do!

This significantly unique documentary examines the fears, hopes and dreams of the undead and asks the question that we have all been meaning to ask a vampire – if your heart has stopped are you really dead, really really dead? I’m sure that all who see this marvelously   dark and strikingly humorous documentary will agree its wonderful to see how these people have adapted to modern life.  I’ll end with a comment from one of the documentary makers Taika Waititi ‘I always liked the idea that vampires were a metaphor for marginalised groups; immigrants, homosexuals, anyone who’s had to live in the shadows of society.’  It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2014 and if you only ever see one documentary make sure it’s this one.

The documentary makers.