Hunt for the Wilderpeople

LEARNING INTENTIONS

To analyse the representation of families in a film.

Directed by New Zealand-born Taika Waititi, Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) tells the story of a young man named Ricky Baker, who gets sent to live with a couple named Hector and Bella Faulkner after exhausting nearly every other option for a home in the foster system.

Ricky, who is naturally rambunctious and loud, initially doesn’t care for Hector and Bella’s home but grows to connect with both of them, especially Bella.

When Bella dies, however, Ricky runs into the woods to escape getting pushed back into the foster care system.

He is pursued by Hector, and after a series of misunderstandings, they find themselves both wanted by the law.

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Hunt for the Wilderpeople: viewing questions

Quiz

When did the film come out?

2017

2020

2018

2016

Who directed it?

TAIKA WAITITI

MIKE LEIGH

JANE CAMPION

BAZ LUHRMANN

What is the film based on?

A TRUE STORY

A SONG

A POEM

A BOOK

Where does the film take place?

CALIFORNIA

THAILAND

AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

What units is the movie broken into?

BOOKS

CHAPTERS

SEASONS

SEGMENTS

Who is the protagonist?

RICKY

BELLA

HEC

PAULA

Who does Ricky go to live with?

PAULA

THE FAULKNERS

KAHU

JUST HEC

Who brings him there?

BELLA

HEC

PSYCHO SAM

PAULA HALL

Which of the following is NOT a misdeed that Paula accuses Ricky of committing?

MIND GAMES

BURNING STUFF

RUNNING AWAY

GRAFFITI

What is Hec carrying when he first appears?

A SKILLET

A LARGE RIFLE

A WILD BOAR

A FEW RABBITS

What is Hec's attitude towards Ricky at first?

FASCINATED AND CURIOUS

UNFRIENDLY

KINDHEARTED

ANGRY AND MEAN

What does Bella put in Ricky's bed to welcome him?

A LUCKY COIN

A PILLOW SHAPED LIKE A HEART

A HOT-WATER BOTTLE

A STUFFED ANIMAL

What does Ricky keep doing upon arriving at the Faulkner's?

SNEAKING INTO THEIR BED AT NIGHT

SETTING THE HOUSE ON FIRE

STEALING MONEY

RUNNING AWAY

Where does Bella tell Ricky she is from?

THE BUSH

AUCKLAND

SYDNEY

NEW YORK

Hunt for the Wilderpeople Summary

Ricky Baker is a troubled kid in the foster care system, who has spent much of his life bouncing between homes. By almost every conventional metric, he is a bad and a lost kid with no hope for redemption. When he is sent to the rural home of Uncle Hector and Aunt Bella, Bella welcomes him with open arms, and Ricky is disarmed by the feeling of family for the first time in his life.

Initially, Ricky acts as he normally does: he is aloof and oftentimes rude, running away in the middle of the night and rebelling in small ways. When Bella takes the time to connect with him and throws him a birthday party and sing a funny song, Ricky feels like he has finally found a home that will make him feel safe. Unfortunately, Aunt Bella dies suddenly, and Child Services wants to take Ricky back into custody, and probably send him to "juvie."

Trying to avoid this dark fate, Ricky fakes his own suicide (accidentally burning down Hector's barn in the process) and runs away into the bush. Hector, known as Hec, follows him and finds him soon enough, before promptly fracturing his foot. They decide that they have to stay in the bush for at least a few weeks while Hec's foot heals.

When Child Services and the cops find Hec's barn burned down, the head of Child Services, Paula, determines that Hec probably kidnapped Ricky. Then, when Ricky and Hec run into a group of hunters who recognize them from a "Wanted" poster, Ricky says something that makes it sound like Hec has been molesting him. A rumor spreads, and Hec and Ricky become "wanted" criminals.

Ricky and Hec start to run through the wilderness. They bond in their journey, encountering many obstacles and learning to live in the wild. Eventually, they are apprehended by the authorities. Ricky gets placed in a new home and Hec gets sent to prison. When Hec has done his time, Ricky goes and finds him, and they go back to having adventures in the bush.

Read this review and discuss the main points.

Deep Focus: Hunt for the WilderpeopleKiwi haikus: the director of What We Do in the Shadows returns with a charming tale of unlikely kinship

Characters

TASK

Using the character information below (and possibly the online app Popplet) - create a mindmap that explains the characters in the film.

Ricky Baker

Ricky Baker is a kid with a checkered past, having bounced around in the New Zealand foster-care system for his entire childhood, unable to find a family he could connect with. He fancies himself a "gangster," someone who is tough, cool, and resilient, even though he is actually a chubby and oftentimes dorky young man. When he is placed in Uncle Hec and Aunt Bella's home, Ricky feels belonging and a sense of family for the first time.

One of the humorous elements of Ricky's personality is both how dorky and awkward he is, as well as how annoying he is to the more serious Hec. Where Hec is stoic and competent, Ricky is unwieldy and clumsy, which creates a humorous contrast. For all his ridiculousness and posturing as a "gangster," Ricky is a sensitive and thoughtful child, who often expresses his feelings through haikus. He is the big-hearted protagonist of the film, the chubby misfit with whom the audience feels most aligned, and who we just want to see end up in a happy home.

Uncle Hector ("Hec")

Affectionately called "Uncle Hec" by Ricky Baker, Uncle Hec serves not only as Ricky's mentor, but as the co-protagonist of the story. An older and somewhat gruff man, Hec is initially mean to Ricky, unsure of how to relate to the unwieldy boy. That quickly changes, however, as the two become close friends in the wilderness. In fact, Uncle Hec starts to reveal his sensitive side to Ricky during the duo's adventures, including the fact that he is illiterate. Ricky helps Hec open up about his lack of education, and by the end of the film, Hec is teaching himself to read and writing haikus just like Ricky. He teaches Ricky how to survive in the wilderness, just as Ricky teaches him to show his feelings and to connect, after years of self-isolation.

Paula

Paula is the dedicated and militant child welfare worker who is first tasked with putting Ricky into a good foster home. She is presented as someone who is committed to maintaining order and discipline above all else, often to villainous and humorous extremes. While she purports to have Ricky's best interests in mind, she is actually the least tender and sensitive adult in his life, and seems to like working for Child Services primarily for the rush of power and control it gives her. She and Ricky share an overblown and comic sense of their own importance.

Bella Faulkner

Bella Faulkner is Hec's wife and Ricky's foster mother. She connects with Ricky in sensitive ways, even though he is exceedingly antisocial when he first arrives at her house. She listens to him and teaches him to hunt and connect with nature, which leads him to open up and feel loved in a way that he never has before. Bella is quirky, playful, tough, and very loving.

Kahu

Kahu is a Maori girl who Ricky encounters when he goes to get help for a dying man he and Hec find in a cabin. She is tough and talkative, and she becomes an adolescent romantic interest for Ricky. She rides horseback and is exceedingly straightforward and blunt in her communication style.

Our verdict on Hunt for the WilderpeopleStarring: Sam Neill, Julian Dennison. Directed by Taika Waititi

Film Review

According to this reviewer - what forms the soul of this film?

Family

Questions on family

How has having/not having a family influenced Ricky?

What type of family is Ricky a part of?

How did losing his foster mum affect Ricky?

What influence did Ricky’s foster father have on him?

Describe the issues the film explores around foster families/foster parents.

Using this plot summary - identify the scenes that contribute most to our understanding of the theme of family.

Quotes about family

"Ricky Baker, now you are 13 years old/You are a teenager and you're as good as gold/Ricky Baker, Ricky Baker,/Happy Birthday/Once rejected, now accepted,/By me and Hector/ We're trifecta" - Bella

These are the lyrics to a charming and ridiculous song that Bella writes for the occasion of Ricky's birthday. She performs it while playing an electronic keyboard, much to Hec's chagrin and Ricky's delight. The song makes Ricky feel like he belongs.

"Trees. Birds. Rivers. Sky./Running with my Uncle Hec/Living forever." - Ricky

While staying at Psycho Sam's, Ricky writes this haiku and reads it to Hec. It's all about how much he loves living in the bush with his "Uncle Hec." It reflects how much he appreciates his foster father.

"Me and this fat kid/We ran we ate and read books/And it was the best." - Hec

When Ricky goes to visit Hec at his rehabilitation center after Hec has served his time in jail, Hec tells him he's been learning to read and reads him a haiku that he wrote, inspired by Ricky's haikus. It is a humorous but heartfelt ode to their time together in the woods, and represents Hec's admission that he does really love and appreciate Ricky.

Learning Portfolio: TASK 2

Write a PEEL paragraph on the way the film. The Hunt for the Wilderpeople explores the theme of family.

Themes about family

The film Hunt for the Wilderpeople provides some insights into family dynamics and relationships. Some of the key lessons that can be learned about families from the movie include:

Family can come in different forms
Family can be a source of support
Family can provide a sense of belonging
Communication is key to successful familial relationships.
Forgiveness is important for a family to be successful.

HOW DOES HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE CONVEY THE THEMATIC MESSAGE THAT THE LOVE OF A PARENT FIGURE IS AN ESSENTIAL NEED IN ALL OF US?

Hunt for the Wilderpeople provides a glimpse into the value of family, but at the heart of the story is the essential need for the love of a parent. This relationship can come in the form of blood relations, a blended family or through adoption and shows that no price can be put on the importance of parents in the life of a child. Prior to being placed in Hec and Bella's care, Ricky is an orphan. None of his foster parents wanted to adopt him, and he could never truly make any friends. He was essentially alone. As a result, he is antisocial and out-of-touch, considered a delinquent by the authorities. When he first gets paired with Hec and Bella, he is unable to really integrate himself in their family, and tries to run away a few times. However, Bella shows Ricky some understanding and kindness, and he acclimates to family life. When Bella dies and it looks like Ricky will have to go back to Child Services, he attempts to run away, but Hec follows him. In the bush, Hec and Ricky form an unlikely friendship, and the disgruntled Hec comes to feel fondly towards the feckless orphan. Their relationship is companionable and familial, and we see the ways that Ricky's attitude is improved by his sense that he belongs in a family. Thus, the theme of family, no matter how nontraditional or dysfunctional, is central to the film.

Elaboration on thematic messages about family

Family can come in different forms: The movie portrays how families can be made up of different people who may not be related by blood. For example, Ricky and Hec, who start off as strangers, form a bond and become like family to each other.

Family can be a source of support: Throughout the movie, we see how Ricky and Hec rely on each other for emotional and physical support. This highlights the importance of having a support system within a family.

Family can provide a sense of belonging: Both Ricky and Hec are individuals who feel like they do not belong in society, but they find a sense of belonging with each other. This highlights how important it is for individuals to have a place where they feel like they belong.

Communication is key to successful familial relationships: The misunderstandings and lack of communication between Hec and Ricky create conflict in the film. This emphasizes the importance of communication within families to prevent misunderstandings and conflicts from escalating.

Forgiveness is important for a family to be successful: The movie shows how both Ricky and Hec make mistakes, but they are able to forgive each other and move forward. This emphasizes the importance of forgiveness and acceptance within families.

Overall, Hunt for the Wilderpeople shows that family is not just about blood relations, but about the bonds that people form with each other. The film highlights the importance of support, belonging, communication, and forgiveness within families.

Symbols

Hot Water Bottle (Symbol)

When Ricky first starts living with Bella and Hec, he is resistant to the idea of family, unable to believe that he will ever feel loved and cared for. However, when he finds a hot water bottle in his bed, which Bella left for him to keep him warm at night, he realizes that his new foster mother has his best interests in mind. The hot water bottle comes to symbolize the comfort and familial warmth that Ricky feels with the Faulkners. It is a symbol of home, family, and security.

Other themes that develop ideas about family

Loss

A powerful theme in the film is dealing with loss. In the film, Hec and Ricky deal with the very unexpected loss of the lovable matriarch Bella. Both Ricky and Hec are heartbroken, and even though the funeral is presented in a humorous fashion, we understand that they feel completely lost and aggrieved because of her absence. In many ways, the film is about how the two of them pick themselves up and carry on in the wake of such a devastating loss. The two companions work through their grief by bonding with each other in the bush, a place that Bella held very dear.

Growing Up

More than anything, the film is a coming-of-age story for Ricky. It tells the story of a young boy, neglected by the system, who learns to grow up and feel more responsible for his own destiny. In the beginning, he is completely powerless and ineffectual, but by the end, he has matured a bit and found a sense of place and belonging in the world. With the help of Bella and then Hec, he develops confidence and maturity.

Maori Identity

While Hunt for the Wilderpeople does not address Maori identity head-on per se, it features a number of Maori characters and Taika Waititi, the director, is of part-Maori descent. Furthermore, the themes of the film, the characters' connection with the wilderness and the bush, as well as their rejection of society all indirectly raise the ideas of Maori identity.

What meaning can you make from the fact that Bella, Ricky and Kahu are all of Maori decsent? What significance does this have in the film?

Podcast discussion

drive.google.com/uc?id=1Q1ubpoxPaMQKwc3WERx0GuhzyekRAvQ6&export=download

Listen to this podcast discussion of the film, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and then answer the questions below..

How does the interviewee view the relationship between Ricky and Hec? (1:30)
Would it be fair to say this a film about Character?(3:35)
Who are the minor characters and what do their stories have to do with the film?(4:05)
The cinematography is what makes this film what it is. What helps us delve into the world of 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople’?(4:10)
What helps establish the wilderness as a character in its own right? (4.45)
What themes or topics stand out in this film? (5.10)
What is the film packed full of? (5.40)
How do the characters express their emotions? (6.00)
Loss, abandonment: How are they shown? (6.55)
What had the biggest impression on you while watching this film? Characters, film techniques, themes, comedic effect?

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