TIFF: Julian Dennison in ‘Uproar’

By Abe Friedtanzer

Courtesy of TIFF

By Abe Friedtanzer

The intersection of inherently comedic characters and unexpectedly dramatic situations can be a difficult thing to get right, but when it is, it’s quite satisfying. Uproar introduces a misfit protagonist who uses humor as a defense mechanism to mask his own discomfort with and uncertainty about his identity, and it warmly and effectively traces his journey towards self-discovery and an untapped passion for activism... 

It’s a joy to see Julian Dennison, an icon of New Zealand cinema who starred in Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople, in the lead again as Josh, a teenager with a white British mother (Minnie Driver) and a recently-injured former rugby star player brother (James Rolleston). Their Māori father has passed away, and Josh doesn’t exactly put much effort into anything he does. He finds a new sense of purpose thanks to twin events that are theoretically entirely unrelated: a wave of protests in 1981 against apartheid in South Africa while that country’s rugby team is permitted to tour New Zealand, and encouragement from his teacher Madigan (Rhys Darby) to audition for a prominent acting school in Australia...

Josh is a fun character who becomes defined through the activities he unwittingly finds occupying his time. Josh has access to a camera and therefore he reluctantly joins his far more fired-up friend at a protest to document it, but he has no stake in what’s happening to another group of people. He also feels that he has much more to deal with in his own family life than any disadvantage his Māori heritage puts him at and as a result doesn’t engage at all with that culture. Acting comes out of nowhere after he spontaneously wanders into the room, and Madigan clarified that, while he may not be able to recognize good actors, he knows at least that Josh isn’t a “crap actor,” something he’s seen too often in his career. 

The first film that comes to mind as a helpful guide for this film’s tone is Pride. There’s a playfulness and plenty of laughs to be found, but when things get serious, the film becomes something else entirely. This isn’t meant to be a definitive Māori coming-of-age story, but instead a stirring snapshot of a moment in time and how a completely unengaged individual tethers himself to a cause he doesn’t initially see as relevant to him. Even when things start to get intense, Dennison’s charisma and self-deprecating nature ground things again in an enjoyable manner. Plus, it’s always wonderful to see Darby, whose work in Our Flag Means Death was fantastic, in any context. This is a sweet, fun film that also has something to say. B+ 

Uproar is screening as a world premiere in the Special Presentation section at TIFF.