Punch

A predictable story line once all the loose ends are tied up following an interesting start. Too bad about the script. The dialogue is very thin and a good editing is needed to condense elements of character in the two main protagonists right from the start. Photography excels, as does sound recording, but with New Zealand as a backdrop that is almost a given. For a relatively low budget film it feels quite professional. A red Pontiac convertible from the early 70's played a role. Was it intended?

I respect comments already made here by others who were puzzled by how a small town could host a major boxing match. The last third of the film resorted to this plot trope straight out of the 1950's. Finally, knowing the locale as I do, I had a hard time picturing Conan as a traditional Maori.

It can be hard to be gay no matter where you are. Conservative or Moderate and even liberal, small minds make you want to leave. In this small town jobs are disappearing by the second so the father does what he can to help his son (Jim) get free via boxing. Though in a backwards way. Jim is becoming strong of mind but he is still naive and he is learning who he is what he wants likes making videos. Whetu is good, artistic and edged due to how the world treats him due to his sexuality. And the mistakes we make that lead to bigger consequences even when we try to do good, survive and just be emotionally well and free.

This movie is about the attempt to persevere and the drive to figure yourself out even when horrible things are ocurring around you. To find the path and walk it to the other side and when you get there to breath air that tastes like your first drink of water. But sometimes we don't get there. Or we don't get there the way we originally thought we would.

Jim (Jordan Oosterhof) has been trained by his father Stan Richardson (Tim Roth) since boyhood to be a boxer. The girls are all after him. He gets entangled with a gay Maori named Whetu (Conan Hayes).

I don't like Jim initially although one can claim that he's just being a guy. The annoying teenage boy has never been my favorite trope. Then he changes and that is an interesting journey. There are bumps in the road for the story and not all of it is good. He and his father surprise me. Tim Roth has limited screen time, but he shines whenever he's on. I do have some questions about the story and that keeps me from truly loving this.

In a seaside small town, 17-year-old Jim is an aspiring boxer, training for his 1st professional bout. HIs coach is his father Stan, whose boxing gym has only Jim as its client, his day job is disapppearing, and (unknown to Jim) is dying of cancer. Mostly Jim sees his father as a repeated drunk, and he gets enticed to switch coaches.

Jim is also distracted by his girlfriend, who keeps wanting more of his time. But in his training runs, he meets becomes mates with Whetu, a Maori living on his own in a shack. Openly gay, Whetu is bullied, harassed, and worse, and wants to leave town immediately upon finishing school. While Jim spends a lot of time with Whelan, Jim can't stand up for, or defend him. As Jim prepares for his fight, he has to navigate his feelings towards his father, his girlfriend, and his new mate.

The scenery is nice, and the lead role is well acted. Also, as Whelan complains, the "straight boy" keeps going around shirtless, showing off his tempting body. There may be a bit too many training scenes, at the expense of more character development. Still, a decent gay coming-of-age story.

Three stars for Conan Hayes and occasionally Jordan Osterhof. Conan and his character pull this film from the unthinkable, unwatchable disaster it is.

Punch. The telltale name suggests you will get quite a literate intellectual and emotional punch delivered just to your door, with no delay.

Do the producers get off on the violence they bring on screen? How many more hate crimes do we have to depict in such meticulous snd thought-out detail, how many more scenes of despicable fights, misery and human atrocities do we have to stuff the cinematic legacy with? The blood gushing out, the bone breaking fist fights, the heinous rape with no warning, any other monstrosity that comes to mind? Rest assured, it's in this film.

I believe LGBTQ+ representation on film should be done cognizant of what came before, as well as how the content being produced influences the present what it insinuates. Upon watching "Punch" I can hardly imagine the idea behind the work, other than bringing some good-old hardcore violence, yet again making the queer people watching and everyone else involved feel awful. Why? And while the small-town homophobic gore plot has already been used in a million other productions, there is a way to depict such struggle (emotional and physical!) without imposing on the viewer the gut-wrenching scenery for most of the movie.

Living in such environments is extremely isolating and emotionally debilitating, which unfortunately is not nearly shown in "Punch". The sweet openly gay Maori student enjoys his life in a remote hut, frequently walking around the town not caring what other people think. He finds a friend in a macho competitive boxing highschooler. While the nature is breathtaking and there is great chemistry between the lead actors, the film is broken down by choppy and redundant cinematography.

I wish this movie showed an endearing love story of two young teens exploring the world in spite of the constraints of a close-minded reality, but it fails to connect the dots.