Written and directed by Welby Ings, Jim is preparing for his first professional fight but begins to rethink his life’s trajectory and his sexuality after tangling with Whetu, a gay Māori boy who spends his days in an old shack down by the beach. Starring: Jordan Oosterhof, Conan Hayes, Tim Roth, Abigail Laurent, Wesley Dowdell and Sage Klein.
While there’s a lot that’s familiar about the story and style of Punch, a lot of its charm comes from the choices that it makes which step away from the typical. Firstly, that it doesn’t immediately dive into a fumbling romance, it actually takes the time to create a genuine friendship and kind connection between Jim (Jordan Oosterhof) and Whetu (Conan Hayes). The second is that it takes some surprisingly dark and harsh turns which help it avoid that fluffy stereotypical romance feel. On top of exploring the abuse and prejudice faced by Māori people. Although that’s not to say it doesn’t make some rather sentimental choices along the way. Particularly its ending which feels too easy, pushing a quick resolution.
Undeniably, the heart of Punch lies with its performances, starting with Jordan Oosterhof who actually manages to add a fresh spin to the usual coming out or burgeoning sexuality storyline. Oosterhof captures something natural and compassionate, he does have the usual fear and trepidation with revealing himself but at the same time he’s mostly concerned with doing the right thing. For a character who has some classically masculine qualities, it’s a refreshing change of pace and gives us the queer coming of age story we know and love but with its own individuality.
Then Conan Hayes gives us a big air of defiance in Whetu’s refusal to tone himself down or hide any part of himself. It’s a performance of bravery, resilience and an unexpectedly deep emotional maturity for such a young character. Welby Ings’ direction feels like it reflects a lot of Whetu’s personality, particularly in how it has a great touch of nature throughout the direction. It feels like a superb choice to be representative of the Māori connection to the land and respect for heritage. Tim Roth also gives a nicely understated performance here, he creates an emotional obstacle of brokenness and alcoholism.
Punch delves into a moving and endearing relationship between two young men, never getting lost in building romance, instead forging a meaningful connection. Ings’ direction has a great personality and captures a small community which can be harsh but beautiful. It unwraps some unexpectedly gritty layers to its story, though it might not quite have a handle on their darkness and occasionally falls into typical territory for young love. That said, it’s still a strong solo-directorial feature from Ings and a solid queer coming of age tale.
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