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Rabbits, Boys and the Wilderness
Must-see movies directed by the talented and quirky Taika Waititi
Being a very proud New Zealander, I’m always keen to support homegrown productions. We have a pretty good reputation for a small country somewhat isolated at the bottom of the world. Everyone knows we are Middle Earth, thanks to the masterful director Peter Jackson putting Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy onto the big screen. Although this was a top box-office movie compilation that snapped up many awards, there are many other older New Zealand productions worthy of note; Goodbye Pork Pie (1980), Once were Warriors (1994), Whale Rider (2002) and The World’s Fastest Indian (2005) are just a handful of my all-time favourites and totally worth checking out.
However, there is another director whose movies are simply glorious. Taika Waititi is a name to watch out for if you haven’t already had the pleasure of seeing some of his work. At last year’s Academy Awards, his movie Jojo Rabbit was nominated for best picture and won the Oscar for best-adapted screenplay. Just recently, it won a Grammy for the best compilation soundtrack for visual media. It is possibly the most brilliant film I have ever seen, charged with fact, fiction, and his signature humour and presence.
