Hunt For The Wilderpeople (2016)

KNACK

- "a clever way of doing something"

 - "a special ready capacity that is hard to analyze or teach"

– Merriam-Webster Online (n.d.)

'Hunt For The Wilderpeople'

A comical tale of what happens when a petulant young boy from the city meets a gruff, seasoned old man who lives out near the bush.  Like most tales that involve the pairing of a child with a senior, this is a family-oriented movie designed to impart simple life lessons & take home messages, through the personal and relationship development between the duo.

Essentially, this duo end up rubbing off on each other: Ricky Baker becomes less whiny & less egocentric, whereas Hector Faulkner becomes less jaded & less cantankerous.  Together they also teach other their "skills":  with Ricky learning to be more wilderness-savvy & learning "the knack", & "Uncle" Hec developing an appreciation for reading & finally puts some effort into learning to read towards the end of the movie (Neal & Waititi, 2016).

Despite it being a clichéd movie with a typical happy ending, it has it's own charm & of course the comedic element within the movie helps increase its appeal to various age groups.  Although surprisingly, *SPOILER ALERT*, the film takes a not so lighthearted turn when Hec had to put down his dog Zag because he was too injured to continued after getting gauged by a wild boar's tusks.

This film ain't all rainbows & sunshine folks, you've been warned.

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Unsurprisingly, if you've kept up with the more recent Pixar animation releases, a slight prompt will remind you of the film animation 'Up'.  Like a friend mentioned, this film is basically a real-life version of 'Up' set in New Zealand.

Rivera & Docter (2009)

Both films have the similar progressions, though not in the same order:

• Story starts off on a sweet note, & all is peachy-keen.
• Plot twist: the wife dies.
• The old man & the young boy go on an adventure together away from "civilization".
• On the adventure, they develop a tolerant/cooperative relationship.
• Together they overcome obstacles, & find new friends along the way.
• At the end of the adventure, they both feel a sense of kinship towards each other & are somewhat accepting of each other's differences.

& as expected they both become a part of each other's lives in the end.

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Of Begrudging Acceptance, Involuntary Fondness & Kinship

Hector Faulkner

It is actually pretty humorous how in the beginning Hec was completely against everything "nonsensical" that was coming out of Ricky's mouth: the haikus, gangster talk, & his antics while they were in the bush together.
The look on his face says it all, its literally screaming: "What the hell is wrong with this boy?"

Hec stares in bewilderment as Ricky dances to the tune on his "walkman"

What he is experiencing is something akin to culture shock, but instead of him leaving & experiencing a culture (in this case social culture) that is different from his due to a change of environment, a "being" that is part of an outside culture is abruptly thrust upon him & encroaches on his comfort zone.
Basically, he is force to tolerate the presence of this little punk from the city who comes into his territory & starts making his previously quiet & uneventful farm life miserable: constantly babbling along in his weird lingo & constant obsession with being cool & gangsta', & ... who somehow ends up becoming his pseudo-counsellor while they are in the bush after his wife Bella dies.

Ricky accepting the "verbal abuse" from Hec because he somehow understands that that's his way of coping with Bella's death.

"Yeah, you're still processing"

– Ricky Baker

When the letter comes in from the Ministry of Child Welfare saying that they'll take Ricky back into state custody, I can only imagine that he is feeling a sense of relief that he won't have to be responsible for this kid that he didn't even want around in the first place, & that he'll finally have the liberty to do as he pleases again without having to worry about someone else... & possibly grieve for his wife the way he wants to: in solitude.

"It was Bella that wanted you here, not me"
– Hector Faulkner

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Ricky Baker

Ricky also experiences some culture shock, though for him it was part forceful & part voluntary when he left the city to a remote farm far from "civilization".  The moment he steps out from the police car you can see it on his face: "Where the heck am I?  I'm not living here".
The lack of familiar concrete buildings around him or under his feet, & how the environment is completely different from what he is used to puts him off.

Ricky looking around in bewilderment at the unfamiliar surroundings.

Bella's kindness & out-of-the-ordinary attitude towards him despite his attempts to run away gradually eases him into accepting that this will be his new home, though not long after he has there comes the next degree of culture shock:

Bella unperturbed by the fact that she has mercilessly stabbed a wild boar to death in a very graphic manner in front of a young boy, & even nonchalantly asks Ricky if he wants to help gut it while she is still covered in it's blood

Even if you were an outdoors person, nothing ever quite prepares you for the gruesome sight of seeing something slaughtered right in front of your eyes... blood & all gushing from the wounds.  An image like that stays with you your entire life, even more so if you don't have strong nerves.

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Culture Shock (Zukauskas, 2016)

There are a few factors that cause culture shock & subsequently adjustment to the new culture.  In the case of Hec & Ricky, the factors that are applicable to their situation are:

1. Their ability to communicate with each other:
   In their case its not so much communicating in the same language, but rather the same "frequency".
2. Their familiarity with each other's culture:
   Definitely assuming that there is almost 0 familiarity seeing as their facial expressions practically scream "alien species".
3. Duration of individual's stay in the new region:
   They definitely did not expect to be exposed to each other for a long time, let alone for an extended period of time in close & constant proximity in the bush.
4. The degree to which their cultures differ.
   I would say without a doubt that there is a high degree of dissimilarity between their cultures.
5. Expectations about each other's culture.
   I don't know what they could have possibly expected about each other's way of life, but seeing as they're technically living polar opposite lives... that expectation was probably inaccurate, or maybe even accurate is they expected each other's culture to be completely different from their own.

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Acceptance, Fondness, & A Sense of Kinship

As I've mentioned, they did not get along at all in the beginning.  However, because of the unusual circumstances that thrust them together, also with some empathy & sense of responsibility on Hec's part, they quickly learned to work together & look out for each other:

Hec learning to deal with Ricky's quirks, trusting him enough to allow him to do things without constant questioning & supervision, & also showing concern in the only way he knows how.

"You'll be alright mate.  Just bloody well come back, ok?."

– Hector Faulkner

Ricky unconsciously imitating Hec's mannerisms, probably because he had accepted Bella as a mother-figure, he see Hec as a father-figure.  He also shows concern for Hec:

Ricky imitating Hec's pose

Ricky helping Hec with his foot after he got injured, & staying with him until he got better.

Ricky jumping awake after realizing he had failed to go back & warn Hec before the authorities showed up.

They also shared endearing words with each other:

Isn't that just sweet?

& of course it goes without saying that in the end they bonded:

Hec & Ricky finally communicating on the same "wavelength" as they head back into the bush again to find the supposedly extinct huia.

– End –

References

Knack. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knack

Neal, C., Noonan, M., Saunders, L., & Waititi, T. (Producers), & Waititi, T. (Director). (2016). Hunt for the wilderpeople [Motion picture]. New Zealand: Piki Films.

Rivera, J. (Producer), & Docter, P. (Director). (2009). Up [Motion picture]. United States: Pixar Animation Studios.

Schultz, D. P., & Schultz, S. E. (2013). Theories of personality (10th ed.). Wadsworth: Cengage Learning.

Zukauskas, R. S. (2016). Culture shock. In Salem press encyclopedia. Retrieved from Ebscohost database

Grace Is Gone (2007)

 GRIEF
"the usual expected reaction to change that is experienced in the form of loss."

"a process that involves feelings such as anger & sadness, followed by reassessment & reorganization of oneself & one's perspective."

 – Delahanty & Washburn (2016)

BEREAVEMENT
"term applied to the loss of a significant person, e.g. spouse, child, etc."

 – Delahanty & Washburn (2016)

'Grace Is Gone'
 Simple, emotional, and impactful.
Though the plot is straightforward & lacks any eventful or unexpected turns, it makes up for it with the depth of the emotions portrayed through the characters.  Even though there is no face with which to pair the mother to, it isn't difficult to resonate with the characters' grief seeing as it is such a strong emotion.

In essence, this film has a story that is easy to understand &  relate to as everyone will have encounter the loss of a loved one.  If you are able to make it through life without having to grief & mourn a loved one's death, you are one of the lucky ones.

The more "accurate" term in this case would be bereavement based on definition, but for the sake of simplicity I shall use the term 'grief' throughout.

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THEORIES OF GRIEF

Kübler-Ross' 5 Stages Of Grief (Delahanty & Washburn, 2016)

Commonly, this is the go-to theory when describing grief.  However, one detail of this theory that is often overlooked or unknown is that Kübler-Ross did her research on terminally ill patients and their reactions when confronted with the inevitable truth that they will die (I am guilty of this too until I was enlightened recently).  Hence, her 5 stages of grief do not apply to people who are experiencing someone else's death but rather to people who have to face their own anticipatory death.

Bowlby & Parkes' 4 Phases of Grief/Bereavement (Delahanty & Washburn, 2016)

Similar to Kübler-Ross' model, Bowlby & Parkes' theories proposes that people experience grief in a systematic process.  His study was focused on children [also the same person who proposed the evolutionary theory of attachment] who were separated from their mothers, & later included adult mourning.  He found that there was a similar pattern & eventually specified the 4 phases: shock & numbness, yearning & searching, disorganization & despair, & reorganization & recovery.
His fourth phase takes on a more humanistic approach when compared to previously proposed models as he believes for a person to complete the grieving process, they will restructure their self & perceptual field & similar to Kübler-Ross' model, accept the loss & move on.

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Recent proposed theories & models of grief contradict the Bowlby & Kübler-Ross' theories, stating that the grief process if highly individualized & complicated, & not as structured & predictable as presented.
That being said, there are some commonalities in the later theories, though the details & specifics vary in terms of how it is experienced & suggest that there is a sort of spectrum rather than opposing ends.

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Complicated Grief (Delahanty & Washburn, 2016)

Unexpected, sudden or violent deaths, or suicides can lead to complicated grief, in which the grieving person experience prolonged or extreme grief reactions.  This form of grief is often associated with depression, physical illness & heightened risk of mortality among grieving individuals.

Thankfully, the grief experienced by Phillips family does not extend into this as they are aware of the possibility that Grace may not return from the war, though it is unspoken & almost taboo to speak about in the family.

Niederhoffer & Straus (2007)

Notice the slight dread & tremor in Stanley's voice when he tells Heidi to turn the TV back on, & her slightly fearful & hesitant response.

Stroebe & Schut's Dual Process Model [DPM] (Stroebe & Schut, 2010)

Stroebe & Schut (1998) proposed a dual process process model of coping with bereavement, where they integrated & drew from existing ideas & traditional models, but also introduced a new concept that a grieving individual fluctuates between 2 forms of coping behaviours: confronting or avoiding tasks involved with grieving.
While previous models & theories propose that directly confronting a loss is necessary in order to continue on in life, Stroebe & Schut posit that sometimes avoiding grief can be a helpful way of coping with the loss, depending on the circumstances.

The primary & secondary stressors involved in the coping process:

Simplified DPM Model of Coping with Bereavement Buglass (2010)
Loss-oriented Processes	Restoration-oriented Processes
Grief work	Attending to life changes
Intrusion of grief	Distraction from grief
Denial/avoidance of restoration changes	Doing new things
Breaking bonds/ties	Establishing new roles/identities/relationships

 
Lose-oriented stressors revolve around evaluating & processing aspects of the loss experience, i.e. grief work, which is the dwelling on or even searching for the person lost.
Restoration-oriented stressors focus on secondary stressors, i.e. the consequences of bereavement, which reflect the struggle an individual goes through when trying to reorient oneself to a changed world without the deceased by rethinking & re-planning life.

Comparison of Models (Stroebe & Schut, 2010)
Bowlby’s Phase Model	Worden’s Task Model	Stroebe & Schut’s DPM
Shock	Accept reality of loss	Accept reality of loss . . . & accept reality of changed world.
Yearning/protest	Experience of pain of grief	Experience pain of grief . . . & take time off from pain of grief.
Despair	Adjust to life without deceased	Adjust to life without deceased . . . & master the changed (subjective) environment.
Restitution	Relocate deceased emotionally & move on	Relocate deceased emotionally and move on . . . & develop new roles, identities, relationships.

The major difference of the DPM is that they focus on the coping process during grieving, rather than the consequences or outcomes that stem from grieving.  In my opinion, this model is more compatible with the grief that is portrayed in the film through the characters.


Throughout the film the DPM is mostly applicable to only Stanley Phillips, as he constantly fluctuates between 'avoiding' grief (in front of his girls), to dealing, accepting & expressing it (in private).

Acceptance

Processing/Yearning

Avoidance

Stanley delaying telling the girls that their mother was killed in action, abruptly taking them out for dinner, then again, out of character, suddenly allowing them to miss school & taking them to on a trip [avoidance].

Niederhoffer & Straus (2007)

"What if we did right now went to Enchanted Gardens?"
– Stanley Phillips

In his attempts to cope, Stanley calls their house phone to hear Grace's voice on the answering machine, admitting that he is at a complete lost on how to tell the girls & wishing that she was still around to help him [yearning].

At the end of the trip, Stanley finally musters up the courage to tell the girls the truth, though Heidi had already found out the night before because she was suspicious of how her father was acting so out of character & behaving strangely.

Heidi grieving the lost of her mother after secretly listening to her father's message left on the answering machine.

The Phillips family as a whole accepting the loss of Grace & experiencing grief together

At the end of the movie, Heidi can be heard reciting a beautiful eulogy at her mother's funeral.  The movie ends on the assumption that as a whole they have accepted Grace's death & are gradually starting to readjust to a new life without her.

The Phillips family waiting for Dawn's watch alarm to go off as it signifies the synchronized time with Grace Phillips.

– End –

References

Buglass, E. (2010). Grief and bereavement theories. Nursing Standard, 24(41), 44-47.

Delahanty, E. J., & Washburn, A. (2016). Grieving in psychopathology. In Salem press encyclopedia of health. Retrieved from Ebscohost Database

Niederhoffer, G., Rattray, C., Lundberg, D. P., & Cusack, J. (Producers), & Strouse, J. C. (Director). (2007). Grace is gone [Motion picture]. United States: The Weinstein Company.

Stroebe, M., & Schut, H. (2010). The dual process model of coping with bereavement: A decade later. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 61(4), 273-289. doi:10.2190/om.61.4.a