Speaking of Taika Waititi, to me, he’s the Spielberg of today, with a particular strength in sharing stories about found families. (Every time he makes a movie or produces a show by uplifting creatives we need and breaks barriers for the marginalized, I turn into the Jeff Goldblum “you did it” meme.) Boy, released in 2010, is about a kid growing up in New Zealand during the ‘80s (much like Waititi did), and in 2014’s What We Do in the Shadows, with its coven of vampire forever flatmates, you really saw how even on the fringes bonds are what makes life worth enduring. But it was 2016’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople that really put Waititi on the map as a modern great who can capture the magic and whimsy of coming of age in ways that convey the timeless challenges of overcoming odds. It’s also basically a live-action Up filled with familiar Waititi collaborators like Sam Neill (Jurassic World Dominion) in one of his greatest recent performances, Rachel House (Moana), and Rhys Darby (Our Flag Means Death).
Speaking of Taika Waititi, to me, he’s the Spielberg of today, with a particular strength in sharing stories about found families. (Every time he makes a movie or produces a show by uplifting creatives we need and breaks barriers for the marginalized, I turn into the Jeff Goldblum “you did it” meme.) Boy, released in 2010, is about a kid growing up in New Zealand during the ‘80s (much like Waititi did), and in 2014’s What We Do in the Shadows, with its coven of vampire forever flatmates, you really saw how even on the fringes bonds are what makes life worth enduring. But it was 2016’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople that really put Waititi on the map as a modern great who can capture the magic and whimsy of coming of age in ways that convey the timeless challenges of overcoming odds. It’s also basically a live-action Up filled with familiar Waititi collaborators like Sam Neill (Jurassic World Dominion) in one of his greatest recent performances, Rachel House (Moana), and Rhys Darby (Our Flag Means Death).