Hunt for the Wilderpeople at Real Art Ways

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Hunt for the Wilderpeople

HELD OVER! Raised on hip-hop and foster care, defiant city kid Ricky (Julian Dennison) gets a fresh start in the New Zealand countryside. He quickly finds himself at home with his new foster family: the loving Aunt Bella, the cantankerous Uncle Hec (Sam Neill), and dog Tupac. When a tragedy strikes that threatens to ship Ricky to another home, both he and Hec go on the run in the bush. As a national manhunt ensues, the newly branded outlaws must face their options: go out in a blaze of glory or overcome their differences and survive as a family. Equal parts road comedy and coming-of-age drama, director Taika Waititi masterfully weaves lively humor with emotionally honest performances by Sam Neill and Julian Dennison.

"Laugh-out-loud funny one minute, achingly sad the next, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" takes the audience on a rollicking yet poignant journey through the New Zealand backcountry in the company of a pair of engagingly eccentric characters."

– Soren Anderson, Seattle Times

"Every once in a while, a small, unheralded film comes along, so smart and funny, such a pleasure to experience, you can't believe your luck. "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" is such a film."

– Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

"Sam Neill is as good as he's ever been, spurred on by his unpredictable and lively offsider, Julian Dennison. It's a good sign when you don't want a movie to end."

– Paul Byrnes Sydney Morning Herald

"Neil proves compellingly gruff as a reluctant father figure, though it's the trash-talking, family-craving ten-year-old Dennison who steals the show, exuding a wacko, wounded attitude rooted in Ricky's backwoods Rambo-Scarface-Mad Max reveries."

– Nick Schager Village Voice