When troubled and hard to place foster kid Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) is dropped off by Child Welfare at a remote rundown farm on the edge of the bush, he isn't too impressed and attempts various escapes to get back to 'civilisation' and a mobile phone signal.

However, events conspire to keep him with his new family until loner Ricky with his foster dad, Uncle Hec ( Sam Neill) a brilliantly grumpy ex-con bushman, accidentally find themselves out in the wild, and hilariously on the run, pursued by the authorities and a group of would be bounty hunters, who turn out to be no match for our oddball heroes, whose survival skills see Ricky coin the expression the 'Wilderpeople'...

This work could have been a cloyingly sentimental tale of a grieving misfit and a dysfunctional adolescent, or an uncertain and clichéd outlaw buddy travelogue but in the hands of Taika Waititi (next to be seen taking on Thor: Ragnarok) we have a wonderful, funny and life affirming tale.

BTW look out for director Waititi (channelling Rowan Atkinson) taking a cameo role delivering the worst eulogy as a crazy cleric!

Please go see, cos this is sweet as……eh!