Uproar

In '80s-based NZ drama "Uproar" half-Maori teen Julian Dennison (great) struggles both at his mainly white school and at home where Brit mum Minnie Driver fights to keep the family afloat after her Maori hubbie's death and older bro James Rolleston pines a rugger career crushed by injury. Through teacher Rhys Darby (good) Dennison naturally exels at drama (set against the rugger he has to play) while in backdrop South Africa's NZ rugger tour stokes racial tensions that bite home via the likes of Dennison's pal Jada Fa'atui. Co-director (with Paul Misdleditch) Hamish Bennett and co-writer Sonia Whiteman pack plenty in, but it works. It's a terrific movie.

Beautifully written and directed with a light, deft touch that allow all the actors have space to be real. Julian Dennison holds the film together with terrific support from James Rolleston and Craig Hall. Minnie Driver delivers a subtle performance to remind us she's still out there with Star power.

The Indigenous themes set against the Springbok tour of 1984 are generous and heartfelt.

But it's the family themes, answering the question, "What are you," that resonate. Loving and holding it all together while letting go. Quite the tightrope to walk.

Watch it. A joy to spend time with a film that's about life as it's lived, and not clickbait fiction.

I really wanted to like this being a kiwi film partly shot in Dunedin, but there was so many continuity mistakes I had to watch the credits a couple time s to check for continuity... Some of the camera reversals were in completely different locations...(Looks like they called for a rain day or the like, and then went to the wing location) And some of the on screen props / equipment didn't even exist for that time period. And not really researched as to period piece behavior and languages. I really wanted to like this but it left me with a bad taste that shouldn't have really happened. Could've should've been better. Oh well win some lose some.

Initially I went to watch this movie with the point of view of what it was like being a minority race in that time and if it still correlates to today. The short answer is yes, it's an unseen underbelly in todays New Zealand but behind closed doors and even in pockets of social media platforms you get the gist that people although not all still have something against the minority race. I'm Maori, an indeginous (yet soon may not be) New Zealander and everything in this movie hit and resonated with me and that ultimate question who am I could not have been writ better, it hit hard, I cried I laughed, an angry voice finally heard, this movie done this for me. I felt eyes looking at me as I walked of the cinema, looking at me in a different light as if this shed light on what it's like being Maori colonized by a western view point. This movie had some wit to it like it's characters and I can only imagine that entire ensemble were all on board and the direction and storyline and within it the subtle storytelling to give this movie the best shot all aligned. Julian Chur my maori, made me cry bloody bugger 😂

The thing I like most about New Zealanders is ironically the reason we are very bad at making movies. We are a very safe and non-daring people, and so our movies always come across this way. You never get a moment that drops your jaw or takes you off-guard. You always get exactly what you expect from start to finish and that is no different in 'Uproar'. A remarkably forgettable film.

The only thing I found to connect with in this movie was Rhys Darby. Both his character and his performance were terrific. He gave me 'Dead Poet's Society' Robin Williams vibes. If they ever wanted to do a spin-off movie about his character I'd be first in line to see that.

Otherwise though, the film just doesn't work. It isn't funny and so doesn't have that to pave over the cracks. And the story doesn't have the emotional impact, or even close to it, that it would've needed for the film to work. 4/10.