Film Number 39 of 2023
The Film: Uproar
The Cinema: Rivoli Cinemas, Camberwell
Stars: 5
I'm biased. I have loved New Zealand cinema and television for years. It's great - and nobody will tell me otherwise. From What We Do In The Shadows, to The Hunt for the Wilderpeople, to The Piano, to Outrageous Fortune, the Kiwis have been punching well about their weight with their simple, yet complex, funny, yet hard-hitting product.
Uproar is up there with the best. I went in with fairly high expectations and left having had them exceeded. I loved this film. Sweet, funny, a great message, historical (well historical in a way I can remember when this was all happening in the early 90s.) It's just wonderful.
Another thing, it's great seeing Julian Dennison and Rhys Darby in semi-straight roles. This film is not played for laughs. There are some very funny scenes, but this is a serious film. And that's okay.
So, what's it about? The action takes place in 1981, when the Springboks went to New Zealand. At the time, South Africa was still under Apartheid law and most countries didn't let their sports teams play them. New Zealand, thanks to their then Prime Minister, allowed the rugby team in - causing a lot of angst for a lot of people. It pitted neighbour against neighbour, the rugger buggers unhappy with the militant protesting of the more liberal minded.
Then we meet Josh Waaka played beautifully by Julian Dennison. Dennison is a bit of a national treasure in New Zealand. He played Ricky Baker in The Hunt for the Wilderpeople. He was the kid in Deadpool 2. In this, he's not only funny, but he gets to stretch his range - and he is wonderful in it.
You see, Josh is a misfit in his very white boys high school in Dunedin. He's the fat kid, the nerd, and the brother of the old rugby captain. His mum, played my Minnie Driver is a widow who's just trying to keep the family together and food on the table, her main job is cleaning the school. Josh's brother Jamie (James Rolleston) is depressed and recovering from an unspecified accident. Oh, and the ever-present Rhys Darby underplays his role as Brother Madigan, Josh's teacher, who sees potential in the lad.
When the Springboks come to town, Josh is forced to work out what side he belongs to. Is he for the rugby team, or his whanau (Family).
There is so much to love about this, most of all, that Dennison and Darby are playing near straight roles being a part of it. This is history that I remember being on the television, and 1980s Dunedin is pitch perfect.
There's also the social aspects of the film, the Maori viewpoint, which when compared to that of the Black South Africans, makes an interesting counterpoint.
There is plenty to love about this. The cinematography, showing Dunedin at its best. Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett's direction keeps what could be a really sappy film into something fantastic, and the costumes and props are SOOOOOO early 80s.
This is going down as one of my top five films for the year. I loved every minute of it.
Okay, I love films from New Zealand, but this one is above par.
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