In this endearing 1980s dramedy, a misfit Māori teenager tackles his individual and cultural identity.
Uproar is an endearingly rich, feel-good coming-of-age film that portrays both a teenage boy and his nation grappling with understanding their place in the world. Dunedin, 1981. Josh (Hunt for the Wilderpeople’s Julian Dennison) is happy to stand by the sidelines rather than fight in the arena, keeping his head down as the only Māori teenager at his rugby-obsessed private school. After his teacher Brother Madigan (Rhys Darby) encourages him to join the drama club, Josh is awakened to the growing mood of community activism and takes to the field to wrest back control of his individual and cultural identity.
“This character Madigan resonates for me because I had a drama teacher that did the same thing for me. That was one of the reasons I took this part on because it felt special to me.” (Rhys Darby)