Uproar * * * *

This charming comedy-drama from New Zealand touches on a lot of issues, whilst never losing sight of its main objective.

Set in Dunedin in the early eighties it's about the school fat kid who doesn't know where he's going in life or what he's doing.  Which is pretty much the state of most fifteen year olds.  Though a lot of students who are good at sport can frequently defer that uncertainty. Josh is most definitely not good at sport.

Move over Aussies...

So it is unfortunate for Josh that he is recruited for the rugby seconds  Unfortunate for the team too.  They don't want him.  What they want is the mentorship of Josh's elder brother who was the school champion until he had an accident.  But with the insistence of Josh's single Mum, they can't have the tutelage of Josh's elder brother unless they take Josh. 

Meanwhile with the encouragement of a perceptive teacher Josh has come to realise something about himself.  He's good at drama.  He can act. 

The early eighties was the time the Springbok Rugby team was visiting and playing in Australia and New Zealand. Many Antipodeans looked at it as an opportunity to protest and shame the South Africans over apartheid, which is rather ironic considering the way that Australians and New Zealanders have treated their own first nations people at times.  But back then it was other peoples sins that matter, not your own.  Whereas today as we all know, no one criticizes anyone for anything before examining their own heart first. Mmmmm....

With Josh, coming to terms with his own values, his Maori heritage, his absent father, his strained friendship with his "girlfriend" it juggles a lot of balls, but never drops one.  Neither does it get overly preachy.  And even though the rugby team are the bad guys, it can't help praising the glory of the game. It has a lot of good gentle humour and it is superbly acted. 

It stars Julian Dennison who wowed us in Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Deadpool 2.  The time shift to the eighties is convincing too.  And the pretty city of Dunedin is nicely shot. 

I'm always amazed as to why New Zealand with fewer resources than Australia consistently seem to make much better films than us.  Someone must have the answer.