"Here I come!" "Here I come." "Mrs Faulkner?" "Yes." "Bella Faulkner." "Bella, Paula Hall from Child Welfare Services." "This is Ricky Baker." "Ricky Baker." "Yes." "Oh, here you are." "Mm." "Ricky, I'm Bella." "Uh, you can call me Bella, or Auntie, if you like, even though I'm not your real auntie." "But, you know, it's a bit less formal." "Whoo." "You're a big fella!" "Who ate the guy who ate all the pies, eh?" "Sorry." "Well, he's nice." "Yeah." "Now, uh, obviously we've got a couple of things to talk through, Bella." "Clearly you've been briefed about his, uh, background and also his foster care history." "Apparently he's a bit of a handful, a real bad egg." "I mean, if you look at his file, you'll see that for yourself." "We're talking disobedience, stealing, spitting, running away, throwing rocks, kicking stuff, defacing stuff, burning stuff, loitering and graffiti." "And that's just the stuff we know about." "But hopefully, uh, change in scene will help straighten him out." "He's home now." "He'll be OK." "OK." "Well, I like your enthusiasm." "Good." "Ricky, this is your new home." "A real piece of work, this one." "Ricky!" "There's no one else who wants you, OK?" "Now, Ricky, you know what the alternative is, don't you?" "Eh?" "Think you can make it work?" "'Course we can." "We'll make it work." "Move." "Move it." "Move!" "Yeah." "I've been in this game a long time." ""No child left behind" is our motto." "Well, it's not, you know, the official motto, but it's definitely mine." "Also, as part of the transition process, I'll be needing to inspect your property, just to make sure that it's up to our high standard." "Looks fine." "What do you think, Constable Tappert?" "Andy!" "Yeah, it looks cool." "Yeah." "We'll be coming in every eight weeks or so, just to check in on, uh..." "Who's that Crocodile Dundee guy over there?" "Oh, that's my husband, Hector." "Whoa." "He's giving that pig a piggyback." "Well, I see he has a rifle." "Just keep it away from this little guy." "God knows what he's capable of." "OK, he's all yours." "No returns." "Oh, I'm just joking." "OK." "You've got my number, so just, uh, ring me if you've got any trouble." "OK?" "Bye, Ricky." "Bye, Ricky." "Wow, what a shocker, eh" "OK, let's go, Andy." "Ricky, this is Hec." "You can call him Uncle, if you like." "No, he can't." "What do you want to do?" "Are you hungry?" "That's a silly question, isn't it?" "Look at you." "Mm?" "You ever worked on a farm before or you just... ornamental?" "Hec." "Just remember when we first met, you weren't much good to anyone." "Just a scruffy white drifter who smelled like methylated spirits." "Goodnight." "Eh?" "What's that, dear?" "Goodnight." "Oh..." "Jeez, Hec." "You bloody idiot." "What?" "Ricky?" "Buddy?" "Are you OK?" "Sorry about Hec." "He's a silly old goat, that's all." "OK, well, I hope you like your room, petal." "They said you liked to read, so I got a bunch of books for you, and you'll also notice an Indian lamp, a bulldog lamp, and some cats, and a nice sharp knife to kill monsters in the night." "I can't imagine what you've been through, boy." "You know, I can't imagine it was easy." "But you're here now." "This is home." "Anyway, it's really nice to have you here, and I left a hottie in your bed." "We'll see you in the morning." "OK?" "OK, Ricky?" "OK." "Nigh-night, then." "See you in the morning." "Jeez, boy, it's a miracle we found you You made it all of 200m." "I was just taking a break." "Hec's cooking breakfast." "Eggs, bacon, a few sossies on the side,... pancakes." "Come on." "Have some breakfast, then you can run away." "Oh man." "I got poop on my kicks." "Go away, insect!" "Good pancake." "So, what's your dog's name?" "Zag." "You should get another one and name it Zig." "Bella told me to tell you that..." "you should give me something to do." "Is there anything you want me to do?" "Yeah,..." "leave me alone." "Cool." "Morning." "Morning." "I thought you were running away." "I did, but I forgot something, so I came back." "Oh." "Good for you, Ricky." "Good to see some initiative." "You ever been up in that jungle before?" "Oh, it's not a jungle; it's the bush." "There's about a million hectares of it, buddy." "You said "bush"." "I'm from up there, deep in the mountains." "You ever go back much?" "Not for a long time." "It's a hard journey, easy to get lost." "We got a lake up there called Makutekahu." "It's so high up it wets the cloak of the sky." "It's the first place our spirits go on their way to Reinga." "Yeah, when my time comes, that's where I'll go too." "Man, you guys got a lot of dead stuff round here." "Mm." "Saw a dead sheep the other day." "Had maggots in it." "There's heaps of maggots, maggots wriggling in that sheep like moving rice." "Yuck." "That was my haiku about maggots." "It's called "Maggots"." "This counsellor lady made me do them when I got in trouble." "They help me express my feelings." "They're poems made up of- Yeah." "I know what a haiku is." "I got heaps of them..." "want to hear another one?" "Sure." "OK." ""Kingi, you wanker." ""You arsehole." "I hate you heaps." ""Please die soon in pain."" "That was called "Kingi, you Wanker"." "Yeah, yeah." "OK." "Got ya." "Got ya." "That's enough haikus for today." "Come on." "Sit down." "Come and give me a hand." "Well, it's like this, and then you put it in this bag." "Easy." "Here you go." "You have a go." "Do you want to try something else?" "Yes, please." "I'm imagining I'm a Maori warrior, and that bottle over there is a British soldier, and I'm defending all my wives." "All right, Te Kooti." "Well, you just keep the target above the little notch in the sight." "And then when you're ready, you just breathe" "Bloody hell!" "So, what are we hunting?" "Oh, anything." "Deer, if we're lucky." "Can we shoot one of those horses up there?" "Oh, I'll give" " I'll give you one guess what my answer will be." "Well, can I ride one?" "Nobody can ride them;" "they're too wild." "Why do they need to be ridden, anyway?" "Well, that's what they're there for." "Why can't they just eat grass and be horses and leave it at that, eh?" "OK, OK." "I was just making conversation." "Shh." "Pig!" "Come on!" "What?" "," "Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" "That's dinner sorted!" "Whoa!" "Want to help me gut it?" "# Ricky Baker, now you are 13 years old." "# You are a teenager, and you're as good as gold." "# Ricky Baker" "Oh." "# Ricky Baker, happy birthday." "# Once rejected, now accepted # by me and Hector." "# We're a trifecta." "# Ricky Baker, ah, Ricky Baker, # ah, Ricky Baker, # ah, ah, Ricky Baker, ah ah," "# Ricky Baker, ah, ah, Ricky Baker, ah, ah," "# Ricky..." "Baker... #" "Hip hip!" "Hooray!" "Go on, blow out your candles." "OK." "Hector, do you think it's time we gave Ricky his present?" "Thank you, Auntie!" "Thank you, Uncle!" "Feed him, clean up after him." "He's yours- you're responsible." "This is the best birthday I've ever had." "I think it's the only birthday I've ever had." "What are you gonna call him?" "Um, still thinking." "Something fierce to reflect its true nature." "Either Psycho, Megatron..." "or Tupac." "What's a Tupac?" "It's just my- this really cool rapper, and he's, like, my best friend." "Are you gonna run away tonight?" "Not sure." "No, oh, it's cool with me." "Just make sure you're back by breakfast." "OK." "So happy we found you, buddy." "Sorry it took so long." "Me too." "Nigh-night, Ricky." "Night, Auntie." "Where are you going, Tupac?" "Come on." "Man!" "Ohhh!" "Oh, Bella!" "You know, sometimes in life, it seems like there's no way out- like a sheep trapped in a maze designed by wolves." "And you know that if you're ever in that situation, there are always two doors to choose from." "And through the first door- oh, it's easy to get through that door- and on the other side waiting for you are all the nummiest treats you can imagine" "Fanta, Doritos, LP, Burger Rings, Coke Zero." "But you know what?" "There's also another door, not the Burger Ring door, not the Fanta door;" "another door that's harder to get through." "Guess what's on the other side?" "Anyone want to take a guess?" "Vegetables?" "N-No, not vegeta" "No." "Jesus?" "You would think Jesus." "I thought Jesus the first time I-I-I-I came across that door." "It's not Jesus." "It's another door." "And guess what's on the other side of that door?" "Jesus." "Jesus." "Yeah, Jesus." "He's tricky like that, Jesus." "So let us pray, to Jesus, please, and make it a bit easier to get through those doors, uh, to find you and your bounty of delicious confectionary." "Thank you, Selena." "Take it away." "Dinner." "It's a bit burnt." "Here." "Read this." "Out loud." ""From the Child Welfare people." ""Mr Hector Faulkner." ""This is Paula Hall from Child Welfare writing to you." ""I'm sorry to hear about your recent bereavement." ""However, in light of the altered circumstances," ""the current situation regarding Ricky's care will have to be reviewed." ""As of June the 1st, I will be taking him back into state custody" ""until alternative arrangements can be made." ""Rest assured I am working tireless to find a new home for Ricky." ""And you can expect a visit next week for Ricky's collection." ""Sincerely, Paula Hall, Ministry of Child Welfare."" "Like hell!" "They can't do that!" "Yeah, they can." "But I live here now." "It's my home!" "Not any more, it isn't." "Not in their eyes." "Not without a woman to run the show." "Why don't we just get you a new wife?" "There's plenty of ladies on the internet, I heard." "Too soon?" "What if we just keep living here, and if they try to take the farm, we'll just have a shootout, like Scarface." "Except we don't have any cocaine." "You can't change this, Ricky." "You're gonna go back, and you're gonna stick it out in a new home." "OK?" "There's no way that's happening." "Well, I'm gonna go bush." "I'm gonna... disappear for a while." "Disappear?" "Yeah, that sounds more like me." "Come on!" "We'll be a team!" "Oh, for God's sake." "You wouldn't last five minutes out there." "But Auntie Bella said you had to look after me!" "Can you just give me some privacy?" "I heard they do experiments at the Boys' Home- waterboarding, torture, that sort of thing." "This one boy got thrown acid on his face because he asked for more Weet-Bix." "Hey, you can't put Auntie in a box." "Give it a rest." "But she wanted to go to the sky place." "She's gone, OK?" "That's life- one day you're here, and the next you're in a bloody box." "Just get this into your head, boy- it was Bella that wanted you here, not me." "I know you think this can work, but it can't." "So the welfare people are coming on Friday." "They're coming to get you." "That's that, then?" "Yep... that's that." "That's that." "Goodbye, Ricky Baker." "FLAMES WHOOSH Uh-oh." "Come on, Tupac!" "Come on, Tupac!" "# Out alone in the middle of the ocean blue." "Whoa!" "# Leave the world behind I guess I never really knew." "# So many people, so many worlds." "# Don't you worry about me." "# Don't you worry about..." "Five down, 10 to go." "Come on, Ricky." "Stick on the rations." "# I belong in the middle of the ocean blue." "# I'm getting nowhere, but that shouldn't really bother you." "Stuff this, Tupac." "We're going home." "# Don't you worry about me. #" "Are you lost?" "Oh!" "No." "Yeah, you are." "Told you you wouldn't last more than five minutes out here." "You got yourself very lost." "I'm amazed how lost you got." "I move fast." "I've got my own thing going on here" "Ricky Town." "Population" " Ricky." "Yeah, well." "You're going back to Reality Town." "Like hell." "I live here now." "Like hell." "I've got better things to do than to run around the bush looking for little shits like you." "So get up." "I hate you." "Well, I hate you too." "I hope you die." "Me too!" "You may as well just kill me now." "Don't kill me." "Anyway, I'm excited to go back to the city." "Good." "Can't wait." "I hate it here- so much dirt." "It's going to be cool." "Get me some new gears, become a drug dealer, a rapper, and die in a drive-by." "Just keep an eye on where you're going." "This is wet." "I'm hungry." "Where are we?" "Shut it." "I hate the bush." "Shut it." "My shoes are wet." "You're the useless bugger who got lost in the first place." "You remember that." "You don't even have a map." "Where's our map?" "Don't need one." "I know where I am." "Probably couldn't even read it anyway." "Why would I need to read a map?" "I already told you" " I know where I am." "Reading is stupid anyway." "Only people who can't read say things like that." "What?" "No." "You can't read?" "!" "Watch it, pal." "You're like one of those people who are, like, raised by, like, wolves or something, eh?" "Ooga booga!" "Me Hec- me no read!" "What's this?" "This is words." "Me stupid." "You little bast" "Ah, my foot." "You OK?" "No." "I'm not OK." "This is all your fault, you little bastard!" "Come on, let's get you comfortable." "I don't really think you're a bastard." "Yeah, you do." "That's OK, because I think you're a bastard too." "Anyway, it's good." "It's..." "healthy to get these feelings out." "Can you move it yet?" "'Course I can't." "It's fractured." "Take weeks to heal." "OK, Debbie Downer, can we think of something more positive?" "Maybe you could... write a haiku to express your feelings." "A what?" "Lost in the forest." "A sore ankle, poor uncle." "Oh well, never mind." "Oh God, we really need to get out of here." "Do you want me to go find help?" "I'd die, wouldn't I?" "No, we've got no choice but to camp out here for a few weeks." "But I'm hungry!" "There's plenty to eat if you know where to look." "Well, I don't know where to look, Hector." "And also, I ran out of toilet paper." "Give me some of yours." "Eh?" "I've gotta poop." "I need a poop, you need a poop." "We all poop." "Use a leaf." "A leaf?" "I hate you." "And bury it!" "I'll bury you." "This ain't no charred foster kid." "How can you tell, Paula?" "Does this look like a human head to you, Andy?" "Where are you, Ricky Baker?" "Hey, I reckon the old man chopped him up, buried him somewhere" "Or ate him." "Something definitely happened, but I'm wondering what." "OK, I'm gonna need you to shut up, Andy, because you're doing my frickin' head in." "Come on, let's go." "This ain't over by a Mangaweka mile." "Get me the police." "It's an emergency." "Hey, whoa, Paula." "I am the police." "I mean real ones, Andy." "Ones with guns." "# Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh." "Yeah." "Hey, Uncle, wanna listen to my Walkman?" "No." "Where are you going?" "Hunting." "Like hell." "You can thank me later." "Tupac!" "TUPAC BARKS Yeah, yeah." "Did you get any food?" "What the hell is that?" "Salad." "What?" "I'd like to see you do any better." "Never eaten a slug before." "Where did you get it?" "It's an eel." "Got it down the creek." "Yeah, but how?" "With what?" "Oh, I don't know." "The knack." "Oh yeah, the knack." "What's that?" "How do you get it?" "It's not a thing." "It's just" "You just get it." "It's a..." "Oh, it's a way of, um- it's a way of figuring things out without having to think too hard or... or talk, more importantly." "You know, most people who die in the bush- they're found naked." "Ew." "Yeah, they panic, and they think their clothes are slowing them down." "They throw them away, and then the cold gets to them." "But the trick is- this is the knack- you stay calm, you look for water, you follow it to high ground until you can see what's going on." "What would you do if I got lost today?" "Would you miss me?" "Well, you- you didn't get lost, so... that's good." "Do you miss Auntie Bella?" "Shh." "Yeah, you're still processing." "You got to do that when sad things happen- process it." "That's like when my mate Amber died." "I processed that for ages." "Who's Amber?" "We were in a home together for a while, and she went to this new family and then started getting in trouble, telling stories about the dad." "And then one day she was just dead." "What do you mean dead?" "How?" "Don't know." "No one told me." "This slug is actually pretty good." "Come on, it's time to get out of here." "Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" "Yes!" "OK." "We'll stay here the night, and we'll be back at the farm by tomorrow arvo." "Yes!" "There's beds, books!" "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" "Toilet paper!" "A nice, warm fire." "DOGS BARK Get out, you mongrels." "Come on." "Come on." "Give me some bars so I can communicate with the outside world." "Ricky,... take a look at this." "Oh, Uncle." "We're famous!" ""Hector Faulkner, 65, and Richard Baker, 13," ""have been missing now for six weeks." ""Faulkner is Cauc..." ""Cauc..." "Asian."" "Wow, they got that wrong, because you're obviously white." ""There is a fear for Faulkner's mental health following the recent death of his wife." ""Police are not ruling out kidnapping." Kidnapping!" ""Park rangers have been alerted for anyone seeing the pair" ""should report back to the nearest police station." Ho!" "Uncle, you're basically a criminal now." "But on the bright side, you're famous." "They think I'm crazy." "And Asian." "Hey, you know when the Wildebeests migrate, they walk up to a thousand miles." "Is that heaps?" "Yeah." "Heaps." "Just like us." "Walking, walking, trying to get somewhere." "Looking for a better home." "Gidday." "Gidday." "Jeez, eh." "Whoo." "Got a lot of explaining to do." "A lot of people looking for you two." "Yeah, we know." "I did my ankle back in one of the valleys." "And, uh, we're on the way out now." "Well,... wait till they hear we caught you in a hut." "Well, we weren't hiding." "The boy got himself lost, and, uh, I'm bringing him back." "Whoa." "Cool gun, bro." "What do you guys shoot with this?" "Sparrows?" "Mm, sometimes." "He hurt you, son?" "Nah." "I fell in some prickles one time." "Did he push you in those prickles?" "Yeah, probably." "Did he push you in the prickles, mate?" "Leave him alone." "You shut your trap, old fulla." "I'd go get some rest if I was you." "You've got a long walk tomorrow." "First of all, you watch how you talk to me." "And second of all, you can take him, but I'm staying here." "Like hell." "People want answers." "Yeah, answers." "Look, we got lost;" "I got injured." "He's fine." "It was basically a holiday." "Not a real holiday, because he made me do stuff." "Like what?" "Just stuff." "He had a sore leg, so he made me do things for him." "It was hard at first, because my hands are so soft." "But I got used to it." "I didn't really want to do it, but it was the only way to survive." "Well, it wasn't always hard." "Sometimes I got to do my own thing." "He pretty much never joined in with me, though." "I asked if he wanted to play with me, but... he would just make me play with myself." "I feel sick." "I feel sick, Hugh." "Well" " Hang on." "He doesn't know what he means." "You're a bloody pervert." "What did you call me?" "You heard him." "Yeah, you heard him, you old perv." "Hey!" "He's not a pervert, you dickhead!" "Shut up, Ricky." "Yeah, shut up, Ricky." "Hey, only I get to tell him to shut up." "Oooh." "Brainwasher." "You're going to jail, you pervert." "Want to say that again?" "Say it again." "Going to jail,... you pervert." "Get off, you mongrel!" "Shit just got real!" "Back up, homies, and let go of my uncle!" "It's OK, kid." "You can put it down." "He won't hurt you anymore." "I said get away from my uncle." "Ricky, give me that." "Get down!" "Ricky, get their guns." "Take the bolts out." "We're getting out of here." "Yeah." "Shit just got real." "Hey!" "You're dead, old man." "Yeah, dead meat, you old perv!" "," "You've had it, mate!" "There's no chance for you!" "Get up." "Straight up that was the most gangster shit I've ever done." "You idiot." "And what were you talking about back there?" "Do you know what that sounds like?" "No!" "Ohhh!" "They're gonna put me away for sure." "Bastards." "Yeah, bastards." "Hear what that guy called me?" "Pervert!" "We need more guns,..." "Oh God." "What am I gonna do?" "... hand grenades,..." "Think." "I've got to think." "... maybe a rocket launcher." "They're gonna come for us." "Yeah, Police." "Awesome." "No, it's not awesome, Ricky, it's serious." "Yeah, but no one got hurt." "You're not dangerous." "Yeah, well, I am to them." "I've been to prison." "Gangster!" "For what?" "Manslaughter." "Double gangster!" "You need a teardrop tattoo." "Oh, I was young." "It was a drunken fight." "Did my time, but..." "they won't see it like that." "I'll just tell them you were looking after me." "It doesn't matter what you tell them; they won't believe you." "They'll think I made you do it." "I'm not going back to jail." "I'm better off up here." "This is no place for a kid." "You're going to have to go back, Ricky." "To what?" "Well, to the welfare people." "No." "They'll look after you." "No, they won't." "They'll find you another home." "You'll be fine." "No." "You're not listening!" "Nobody listens." "There's no more homes, just juvie!" "What's juvie?" "Juvenile prison." "They don't care about kids like me." "They just keep moving us around until... something happens, like..." "Amber." "Oh, no." "Bugger that." "OK, OK." "We're in about a million hectares of bush- that's big." "It's big enough to enough to hide in for a while, anyway." "Good enough for me." "But we're heading into winter." "It's gonna be rough- no huts, no tents, real bush life." "Can you handle that?" "I can handle it." "Yeah." "And if you play up, I dump ya." "OK, Uncle." "I'd still prefer if you don't call me Uncle." "OK, Hec." "So what do we do now?" "We run." "Wait, wait, wait." "No, no." "No, we don't need to run." "Oh yeah." "Let's just fast walk." "Yeah." "Come on." "# Oh, sinner man, where you gonna run to?" "# Where you gonna run to?" "# All on that day." "# Well, I run to the rock." "# Please hide me, I run to the rock." "# Please hide me, I run to the rock." "# Please hide me, Lord." "# All on that day." "# But the rock cried out, "I can't hide you."" "# 'The rock cried out, "I can't hide you."" "# The rock cried out, "I ain't gonna hide you, guy."" "# All on that day." "# I said, 'Rock!" "What's the matter with you, rock?" "# "Don't you see I need you, rock?"" "# Lord, Lord, Lord." "# All on that day." "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" "# Oughta be prayin', sinner man." "# Oughta be prayin'." "# All on that day." "# I cried, 'Power!" "# Power." "# Power!" "# Power, power." "# Power!" "# Power, power." "# Power!" "# Power, power." "# Power!" "# Power, power." "Pretty majestical, eh?" "I don't think that's a word." "Majestical?" "Sure it is." "Nah, it's not real." "What would you know?" "It's "majestic."" "Well, that doesn't sound very special." ""Majestical" is way better." "What do you reckon this place is called, anyway?" "Do you think it's that place where the cloak gets wet by the sky or something?" "I don't know." "What the hell does that mean?" "Auntie Bella said she was from up here- from this special lake that almost touches the sky." "Mate, Bella didn't know where she was from." "Nah, she said" "No." "She was making it up." "Look, Bella didn't have any family." "Like you." "Like me." "That's why she wanted to look after you... and took pity on me." "She wanted to save us poor wretches when no one else wanted us." "Like rescue dogs." "That's the way she was." "Heart of gold." "Yeah, it's majestical." "May as well camp, eh?" "Sun is going down." "Developing story now, more on this massive national manhunt." "Yes, we've got Paula Hall from the Department of Child Welfare with us." "Paula, thank you for being here..." "Good morning." "Tell us about this boy." "What kind of character are we talking about?" "Well, look, we're" "We're talking about a young boy who is capable of stealing, spitting, breaking stuff, kicking stuff, defacing stuff, stealing stuff, burning stuff and, uh, loitering and graffiti-ing." "Yeah." "Mm." "Even so, Paula, he's just a kid, right?" "He's alone in the bush." "He's scared." "Scared?" "No, no." "He's not- He's not a scared little kid." "He's a spanner in the works, and I'm the mechanic who is gonna take that spanner and put him back in the toolbox" " OK." "... where he belongs." "No child left behind." "No child left behind." "No child left behind." "He'll know what that means." "OK." "Any luck?" "We're somewhere in this green bit." "Well, people used to live here, so we can't be that lost." "They probably got lost too, and then just gave up." "We'll probably die here." "Well, anything to shut you up." "I'll shut up if that stupid bird shuts up." "Shut up, stupid bird!" "Shh." "Just watch." "Huh." "Never seen a dumb bird like that before." "Just watch." "It's a hula." "I reckon that bird was a hula." "Supposed to be extinct." "That's pretty rare." "Mate,..." "I reckon there'd be a lot of people interested in seeing something like that." "And the people who discovered them would be... pretty famous." "Yeah, probably some money in it too." "Mind you, need some photos to prove it." "We don't have a camera." "When was the last time you washed?" "About a month ago." "Well, that's not enough, eh?" "OK, mate." "Let's go." "What have you got there mate?" "Huh?" "Oh books." "Books?" "Bloody books." "Look for food and warm stuff." "Yeah, yeah, yeah." "Keep your pants on." "Jeez." "That's a ranger." "Oh, he's dead." "Oh Jeez." "You all right, mate?" "What's the matter?" "Ricky, we've got to do something." "Are you going to manslaughter him?" "Because I don't think I can watch." "No, you idiot." "I'm" " We've got to get him some help." "There's a track down to a river; there's some bush people that live down there." "It's about a two-hour trek." "We can make it before dark." "Well, someone has got to stay behind and look after this bloke." "Have fun." "Now don't go wandering; just stick to the tracks." "If you get desperate,... eat your dog." "What?" "You'll be right, mate." "Just bloody well come back, OK?" "OK." "What do you think you're doing out here, freaky kid?" "There's a sick man up at Carrington Hut." "He can't walk, and he's having trouble breathing." "Can you radio in a chopper?" "OK." "Sweet as." ""Uh, yeah, we need a helicopter up here ASAP." "Over."" "Does it look like I carry a radio?" "What's wrong with him?" "I don't know." "He might be dying." "Ew." "Oh, OK." "Come on, we'll go call the cop." "Get on, man." "I've already told you, Bruce- up at Carrington Hut." "He's probably already dead by now." "Do you want some ice cream?" "How should I know?" "Do your job, fly up there and take a look." "I already told you that, but you're not listening." "Oh, yes, I do." "I can." "Uh..." "You want a sausage?" "Yeah, yeah." "Do that." "Yeah, I'll tell him." "Laters." "They're gonna head up there first thing in the morning." "Better go, then." "Got to get there before they do so I can warn Uncle..." "Relax, bro." "I know who you are." "I've seen your picture in the paper." "Except you're skinnier in real life." "Where's your parents?" "Dead." "Nah, jokes." "My, um, dad, he's watching the league with my uncle, and my mum, she's working at the lodge." "Do you want to smoke a joint?" "Nah, I'm just being a dick." "I don't smoke." "I'm talking heaps eh?" "Yeah, people say I talk too much." "You don't talk much, eh?" "I can talk for ages." "If you want me to talk for ages, or if you don't me to talk, just tell me if you don't want me to talk." "Like, this one time I was school, and I was talking too much, and the teacher walks in" "I'm not listening to her, because she's my Auntie..." "# Only the crumbliest, flakiest chocolate." "Tastes like..." "But then I just kept talking" "Hey, bub." "Far out those bloody Warriors are useless!" "Koretux." "That's my dad." "They are killing me." "Hey." "You're him." "You're you!" "That's him!" "Oh, Ricky Baker in my house." "You want, uh, anything?" "Sausage, bro?" "We've got heaps of sausages, brother." "Far..." "I hate to ask you this, Ricky, but I'll kick myself if I don't." "Um,..." "Can I have a selfie, please?" "Yeah?" "Yeah?" "Far!" "Oh my goodness." "The boys are gonna be buzzing on this one." "Big smile." "Big smile." "Sad face." "Sad face." "Just take a quick selfie of us." "It's not a selfie if I take it, you idiot." "Oh, come on." "Just pretend I'm the head to his body." "CLICK!" "I captured Ricky Baker!" "Yeah, you captured me too." "You captured me." "Oh no!" "Yeah." "Chur, my bro." "Chur." "Thank you, my bro." "Been awesome meeting you, Ricky." "Just keep doing what you're doing, man." "Keep striving." "Stay Maori, bro." "We need a couple more Maoris like you." "Oh, shut up." "No, you shut up, eh." "Yeah, get out." "I'm imparting my knowledge on the bro." "You're the man for me." "You're a boy, but you're a man." "Bro." "I love you, Ricky." "Why are you on the run?" "Don't you want a normal life?" "Don't know." "Maybe." "You fullas could come live here." "They'll never find you." "Nobody ever comes in here." "I have to ask Uncle first." "They say he's dangerous." "You guys get along?" "Yeah, we're like best friends." "We get on so well." "He's, like, one of the best bushmans in the whole country." "He, like, teached me all of his skills, so now we're, like, equal best bushmen in the country." "Yeah, we're best friends." "Oh, where's your mum and dad?" "Don't know who my dad was, and my mum got rid of me when I was little." "Oh, you know where she is?" "You ever met her?" "You know anything about her?" "Oh, pretty." "She must've had you when she was a teenager." "You ever try and find her?" "Oh, you don't have to." "She should find you." "What do you reckon you'd say to her if you ever met her?" "Don't know." "Never really think about it." "You want to hear a song I wrote?" "OK." "Here goes." "It's an original." "# Turn your lights down low." "OK, I lied." "It's not an original." "# And pull your window curtains." "# Your window curtains." "GIRL AND DAD SING # Oh, let Jah moon come shining in." "# Into our life again..." "# Saying, "Ooh, it's been a long, long time..." #" "Morena, bro." "Sausage?" "Oh no!" "Yeah bro, you slept in." "Oh no!" "Man, we gotta work on your dismounts." "You all good from here?" "Yeah." "OK, Ricky bro, catch you up." "Catch you up." "Uncle!" "Tupac, come on!" "Oh no!" "Ninjas!" "Dire wolves!" "Child Welfare!" "Where did they go?" "Where did they go?" "!" "I know you know something." "He knows something." "Paula, he's the ranger." "He had diabetes." "They saved his life." "Oh, spare me, Andy." "This is Gavin, our tech guy." "Gav, Paula Hall, Child Welfare Services." "No child left behind." "So, talk to me, Gav." "What's the situation?" "Uh, well, the hut is empty so they must've left before we got here." "Ooh, you worked that out on your own, Gav" "OK, what else?" "Well, uh, we've, ah, set up a rendezvous spot here for the search party." "And, uh, then we can bring in, uh, Stingray." "Stingray?" "Talk to me, talk to me." "Oh, well, basically it's just a portable cell phone tower that emits a false frequency." "So any cell phone in a 5 K radius will latch on, thinking it's an ordinary network." "Frickin' A, brother." "That's some "five eyes" shit right there." "OK." "Them clowns is about to get Stingray-ed." "Uncle, Uncle, Uncle." "Think, think, think, think." "Oh!" "Tupac, find Zag." "Oh, you're useless." "Oh!" "Think, Ricky, think." "What would Uncle do?" "What would Uncle do?" "Oh yes." "Yes!" "Find water, and then go to higher ground." "And don't get naked." "Ricky Baker and Hector Faulkner- two renegade outlaws on the run for four months now, and fast becoming legends here in NZ." "Faulkner and Baker's popularity is on the rise after a valiant effort to save a critically ill park ranger." "The forces are circling against them, and I am reminded of "First Blood"." "John Rambo, a man alone- obviously they're two men alone- out there somewhere beyond the cutty grass in this dense, thick bush." "OK?" "Easy, efficient, economic." "All right, guys?" "Take us back a step." "What happened in...?" "Uh, I lost control and, uh, I gave him the beating of his life." "Yeah, you got him good." "We're offering $10,000 to anyone who can capture them, dead or alive." "Oh,... alive." "They should be alive." "They are fighting for freedom." "And we believe in freedom in NZ." "It is a marvellous thing." "Oi!" "Ricky!" "Freeze!" "OK, OK." "OK, Ricky." "Stay there we're coming over to you." "Come on." "It's too steep." "It's too steep." "Ricky, you come across here." "No." "Just slide down the bank, cross this stream, and then climb up to us." "You're absolutely safe." "All you have to do is grab some branches or some roots." "OK?" "No." "Ricky." "Come over here right now!" "I'm not going back." "I'm not going to juvie." "You are playing with a bag of snakes, boy." "A big bag with a lot of holes in it." "You've got the whole country looking for you." "I'll never stop running." "Yeah, and I'll never stop chasing you." "I'm relentless." "I'm like the Terminator." "I'm more like Terminator than you." "I said it first." "You're more like Sarah Connor." "No, I'm not." "Yes." "And in the first movie too, before she could do chin-ups." "It doesn't have to be this difficult, Ricky." "Yeah?" "You're cold, you're damp..." "and hungry." "Look at that- scroggin." "Got some nuts and dried fruit..." "Little pieces of chocolate." "Yum." "Delicious." "We could cut a deal; make a trade." "What kind of deal?" "The old man." "You say that he made you do it, let him take the rap, and I'll make sure you never go back to juvie." "We'll find you a new foster home; a new Bella." "No deal." "Oh, come on, Sarah Connor." "Don't be a fool." "You don't trade family for anything." "Well, you just keep running." "He's here!" "He's here." "We got him!" "Go!" "Go!" "Go!" "OK." "So you ate a sausage, she sang a song, and you went to sleep." "What?" "It was a relaxing song..." "and a relaxing sausage." "Do you think we've walked a thousand miles yet?" "Like the wildebeest?" "Well, it feels like it, eh?" "Yeah." "Always on the move, always on the lookout for hunters, just like the wildebeest, except humans." "We're..." "Wilderpeople." "Yeah, that's us." "OK then, Wilderboy, let's find somewhere to eat, shall we?" "There they are!" "Freeze!" "Shit just got real." "Again." "Now, drop your weapons." "We're not holding any weapons" "Drop 'em!" "Go see what they got, Ricky." "Baked beans, spaghetti, ba- baba" " What?" "Oh, baba ganoush." "What?" "Baba ganoush." "What?" "Binoculars, rope, gaffer tape." "Get their guns, Ricky." "Give me your guns." "Take the bolts out." "There's a reward for your capture." "How much?" "10 grand." "Tell us when it gets to 20." "And when they ask who did this, tell them it was the Wilderpeople." "The What-er-people?" "The Wilderpeople." "No, I can't go back there." "It wasn't my farm; you know that." "It was Bella's." "She ran the show." "I could do stuff- me and the dog- but she was the farmer." "And the cook." "Yeah, a bloody good cook too." "But you- you can't keep on the run forever." "You've got to go back to society, you know that." "I'm a menace to society." "Anyway, if I ever went back, I'd probably end up driving a steamroller or something." "That's what happens to gangsters." "Well, there's nothing wrong with that, but if you're better at something else, then you should probably give that a go, shouldn't you?" "Yeah, but I'm better at being a gangster." "You're not a bloody gangster." "How would you know?" "Because I've known real gangsters, and they're a lot tougher than you are." "Yeah, but were they skux, though?" "Skux?" "What the hell does that mean?" "You know,... skux." "Yeah, but what does it mean?" "Everything." "It's cool, spunky, brainy, good-looking, you know, gangster." "Oh, for God's sake." "You're not a bloody gangster!" "Oh, jeez." "Zag!" "Tupac!" "Get back, Zag!" "Get back!" "Come back here, you-!" "Get in behind!" "Get in behind, Zag!" "Zag!" "Zag!" "Get out of it, you mongrel!" "Shit." "Uncle!" "What have you done?" "Oh jeez." "Give us your gun, mate." "Hm?" "Go on, get out." "No, Uncle." "Get out of" " Uncle!" "Get out of here, Ricky." "Go on, get out." "But can't we just-?" "Go!" "What does that say?" "Zag." "Good." "So, she's been with us the whole time, eh?" "Yeah." "Well, pretty close to the sky up here." "Thanks for bringing her, mate." "# When they poured across the border, I was cautioned to surrender." "# This I could not do." "# I took my gun and vanished." "# I have changed my name so often," "# I've lost my wife and children." "# But I've many friends." "# And some of them are with me." "# Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing." "# Through the graves, the wind is blowing." "# Freedom soon will come." "# Then we'll come from the shadows." "# Un vieil homme dans un grenier # pour la nuit nous a cachés." "# Les Allemands I'ont pris." "# Il est mort sans surprise." "# Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing." "# Through the graves, the wind is blowing." "# Freedom soon will come." "# Then we'll come from the shadows. #" "I wonder how long they're going to hunt us for." "Oh, it's hard to say." "Those idiots are worse in the bush than you are." "Useless." "Couldn't find a clown in a circus." "Stop!" "This is the police!" "Oh shit!" "What?" "I was trying to tell you it was like The Lord of the Rings." "What the...?" "Can you see that bush over there?" "Yeah." "Is it a man or a bush?" "Bush!" "Man!" "Bushman!" "Ah!" "Hello." "I was hoping to run into you two." "Well, if you're after the reward, you can bugger off." "We're dangerous." "Yeah, we're dangerous." "Yeah, no." "I heard about that." "Don't worry." "I'm not going to capture you." "You guys heard of a- a local legend about a guy who lives out here in the bush on this own?" "They call him Psycho Sam!" "No." "No?" "Oh, OK." "Well, my name is Sam, anyway." "I'm a friend!" "Come on." "Bikkie?" "Why do you reckon he calls himself Psycho Sam?" "Here you go." "Put these on." "Stop the Government from tracking you." "Never mind." "That fulla you saved- he was a ranger." "Diabetic." "You got a little support over that." "But then you robbed those hunters, so you're back in the negatives again." "Well, that was... this fella." "He's the maniac." "Well, they're still saying you're dangerous." "And a bit of a pervert." "Goddammit." "It's all right." "You can stay here as long as you like." "I've been up here 15 years now." "Got everything I need." "How long they been chasing ya?" "I don't know." "About five months now?" "Bastards." "That's the typical government." "Always trying to step on the little guy just for living his life." "It never stops either." "That's why I can't go back." "Not going to be part of the machine." "Form fillers." "Form fillers?" "That's how they get you." "Anything you want to do in life, you got to fill out a form." "And they've got forms for everything." "You fill it out, it goes upstairs, and then they make you fill out a new form, just to confirm it was you that filled out the first form." "And if ever you want to stop filling out forms, well, there's about five different forms for that." "Don't even get me started on the national rugby team." "They're not human." "What you doing, mate?" "Writing." "And what are you writing, Mr Shakespeare?" "Haiku." "Well, go on, read it out." "I'll tell you if it's any good." "No, it's just a personal one." "Oh, come on." "Don't be shy." "Mm, OK." "Trees, birds, rivers, sky." "Running with my Uncle Hec." "Living forever." "See?" "Told you it was dumb." "No, no." "It was just that" "Well, that's the" "That's the first time I've..." "heard my name in a poem." "I liked it." "Gee, Bella would have loved this adventure, wouldn't she?" "Mm." "Why couldn't you guys have any kids?" "Well, just couldn't." "Well, I couldn't." "That's not very fair." "Some people can't even have babies." "And the ones who can- they don't even want them." "Like my mum." "No, mate." "She wanted you." "She was- she was probably just young." "She couldn't work out how to raise you, you know." "I bet she loved you, though." "Doubt it." "Well, you never know." "You're pretty likeable." "Lights out, OK?" "Goodnight, Sam." "Oh, I haven't got that fixed yet." "Goodnight, Uncle." "Goodnight, mate." "Uncle!" "Uncle!" "Uncle!" "Uncle!" "Uncle!" "Uncle!" "Uncle!" "Uncle!" "Uncle!" "Uncle, we have to go!" "Yeah." "Even I can't stand his cooking anymore." "We'll get out off first thing in the morning, eh?" "No!" "They're here." "Who?" "Government!" "Government!" "Sorry, excuse me." "Did they see you?" "No, but they're close!" "OK." "Get our stuff!" "Hey!" "Hey, what happened to my phone?" "I upgraded it for ya." "You're on four bars now." "You clown." "What have you done?" "Come out and give over the boy, Mr Faulkner." "Uncle!" "Uncle!" "They're close." "Sam, what's the fastest way out of here?" "Jet pack." "Do you actually have a jet pack?" "No." "What?" "Wait!" "I've got an underground bunker." "This tunnel leads directly to an underground chamb" "I haven't dug it yet." "Oh!" "What have I been doing with my life?" "That's it." "We've run out of options." "Just pretend to be dead." "I'll be here." "Come on, guys." "It only works if we all do it." "For Christ's sake, Sam, pull yourself together." "We need to get out of here right now." "What are we gonna do?" "Crumpy!" "What?" "Crumpy will take you!" "Who the hell is Crumpy?" "!" "Crumpy!" "Jesus, does she even go?" "Crumpy." "Unkillable." "Four-wheel drive." "Both wheels go- go four-wheel-drive." "Ricky, where are ya?" "Oh, where did I put the keys?" "Ricky!" "Unkillable!" "Ricky..." "Get in!" "Ricky Baker, you are not driving this ute." "Get in the car!" "Oh shit." "Tupac!" "OK." "I'll hold up the government and buy you some time." "Thanks, mate." "Don't do anything stupid." "Me?" "How did you get this thing started?" "The knack." "Crumpy!" "Hey!" "Sorry, mate." "She's a bit bumpy around here." "Not too fast, Ricky." "Slow down." "No!" "No!" "Tree!" "Get off!" "Slow down!" "That's my bike." "Shut up, they're mine." "Whoa." "SIRENS WAIL Uh-oh." "May as well play it to the end." "What do you reckon?" "You mean have a shoot out, and then when we've got no bullets, run out and say, "Freedom!"" "And then die in a blaze of glory?" "No." "I actually meant till we run out of petrol." "Oh." "Well, I'm dying in a blaze of glory." "ENGINE REVS No!" "Oh." "Whoa." "Faulkner!" "This is the Police." "Stop the vehicle and hand over the boy." "You're pretty much surrounded." "No escape." "Come on mate." "Mr Faulkner..." "Mr Faulk" "Pull the bloody vehicle over, Faulkner." "Ricky Baker!" "Hi, Paula!" "You pull that ute over right now or you're going to be in a whole lot of trouble, son!" "You don't even have your full licence!" "Ricky!" "Is that what I think it is?" "Uncle Hec!" "Uncle Hec, that's the actual army." "This is like an actual war, like, for real!" "Roger, Comms, we have visual." "Kilo, Foxtrot." "We've lost them in the bush." "OK." "Stop the truck, Ricky." "I just- stop the truck." "I want to get out now." "I didn't choose the skux life;" "the skux life chose me." "Ricky, stop." "ENGINE REVS Stop!" "Freedom!" "How many bullets do we have?" "Ricky, we've got to stop." "Never!" "Come on!" "Mate, this is it for me." "Look, I can't go on anymore." "My leg is buggered." "I can hardly see." "This is the end." "Ricky Baker, you get out here this instant, son." "You've caused a lot of damage to private property today." "You've taken out this corrugated iron fence." "Not cool, not cheap." "Ricky, this isn't a game." "That's real over there." "They're never gonna stop chasing, ever." "We're done." "I'm not going back!" "Listen, it's over." "Traitor!" "Give me your gun!" "Give me it!" "Oi, you!" "Give me your gun." "Where's your taser?" "It's been booked." "It's in Wellington." "Oh for God's sake!" "It wasn't me!" "You idiot, what did I tell you about gun responsibility?" "That's it." "I'm giving you up." "We give up!" "We give up!" "He's molestering me!" "I knew it." "You little bastard!" "He's a molesterer!" "I'm not!" "He's lying!" "I'm not a molesterer!" "I bloody hate you." "I hate you too, traitor!" "That's it." "You're on your own." "Don't shoot!" "Don't you take another step." "What do you think you're doing?" "What do you think he's doing, Andy?" "Andy?" "You're not going anywhere." "We stick together!" "What, are you gonna shoot me?" "Do it." "We're family!" "Like hell." "Go ahead." "Shoot me." "Got you now, perv." "Oh!" "You shot me!" "I'm" " I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" "It was an accident!" "I've got him!" "I've got the package!" "Well done, everybody!" "Now let's get this precious child out of here!" "I'm sorry, Uncle." "No!" "I'm not your bloody uncle." "I didn't mean to!" "Hector Faulkner, you are under arrest." "Whatever you do or say will be used against you in a court of law!" "Paula!" "Police in NZ don't really say that." "That's like an American thing." "And you're not a cop." "It's over." "Get in." "Oh!" "Yeah, I found him on my horse, and we had some sausages..." "Uh, I'm a big fan and, uh, managed to scab me a selfie." "I said that I was the Terminator and he was in fact Sarah Connor." "I said, "I didn't choose the skux life, uh, the skux life chose me."" "Who is going to give him that upbringing?" "Is it perhaps...?" "We just want what's best for the child, Your Honour." ""Mara" " Mara-u-ding" ""and plunder... ing the" ""uni... univer... universe..." ""rising... up..."" "Ca-caw!" ""... aga-"" "Ca-caw!" "Ca-caw, Hec!" "Hi." "How was jail?" "Did you shank anyone?" "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry that I shot you,... and I'm sorry that I burnt down your shed." "That's enough." "And I'm sorry for what I said that day, about you being a molesterer." "That really is enough;" "I'm getting uncomfortable." "I just got carried away being an outlaw; had too much fun." "Been doing all right?" "Yeah, I just had to stick it out in a new family for a year." "I did." "You'll like them." "Man, you'd love it there." "There's heaps of room, they need some help on the farm, it's right next to the bush..." "Oh, and I also saved up and got this." "You want to find that bird?" "Yeah." "We'll be famous." "Nah, you're better off without me, mate." "Yeah." "But I..." "I just thought that..." "OK." "Sorry." "Hey." "Wait on." "I've got something to say." "Me and this fat kid" "We ran, we ate, and read books." "And it was the best." "It was the best." "Yeah." "Look, to tell you the truth," "I can't stand it here." "It's full of old people." "So... you're coming?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I'm coming." "Wouldn't want a little twerp like you to get all the credit for finding a bird." "Yeah, but I've got one rule- you got to let me call you "Uncle"." "Uncle?" "Yeah, I can stand that." "I've got one rule too." "Not allowed to shoot me." "OK, I'll..." "I'll go and get my toothbrush." "Here we go." "Reckon you can handle it?" "What do you think?" "Reckon you can find that bird?" "Yeah." "I think I know where it is." "Seem to remember it was a pretty beautiful place, was it?" "Yeah." "Majestical." "Come on." "Let's go." "Don't slow me down, old fulla." "Keep up yourself, young player." "Get in my way, I'll have your guts for garters." "Well, I honestly don't know what "guts for garters" is, so..." "Well, it's gangster talk." "Yeah." "We didn't chose the skux life  the skux life chose us." "Yeah." "# There's a road I know I must go." "# Even though I tell myself that road is closed." "# Listen, lonely seabird, you've been away from land too long." "# Oh, too long." "# I don't listen to the news no more." "# Like an unwound clock, I just seem to care." "# This world isn't big enough # to keep me away from you." "# Oh, from you." "# Seabird, seabird, # fly home." "# Seabird, seabird, # fly home." "# Like a lonely seabird, you've been away from land too long." "# Oh, too long." "# Suddenly, you're with me." "# I turn and you're not there." "# Like a ghost, you haunt me." "# You find warmth in a one-night bed." "# Sunsets, full moons # don't turn you on." "# Like an untied dog, you just had to run." "# Like a lonely seabird, you've been away from land too long." "# Oh, no, too long." "# Said now, seabird," "# Seabird, seabird, # fly home." "# Seabird, seabird, # fly home." "# Seabird, seabird, # fly home." "# Seabird, seabird... #" "# Ricky Baker, now you are 13 years old," "# You're a teenager, and you're as good as gold." "# Ricky Baker, happy birthday." "# Once rejected, now accepted # by me and Hector." "# Trifecta!" "# Ricky Baker, oh, Ricky Baker." "# Ah, ah, Ricky Baker, oh, Ricky Baker." "# Ah, ah, Ricky Baker, oh, Ricky Baker." "# Ah, ah, Ricky..." "# Baker... #"