BFI Flare – Review: Rurangi (2020)

Returning home after a long period away would be difficult for anyone, but if the reason for your original departure was one of survival, then coming back may be almost impossible.  Rurangi, directed by Max Currie, and co-written by Cole Meyers and Oliver Page brings one such story to the rural setting of New Zealand.

Caz Davies (Elz Carrad), a transgender activist in Auckland returns home to Rurangi, a relatively insular dairy farming community, after ten years away.  In the intervening years his mother has passed away, and he hasn’t spoken to his father since leaving.  When he left he also disappeared almost overnight and many people are still bitter about how he left.  One such person is his childhood friend Anahera (Awhina-Rose Ashby) who initially doesn’t recognise him, and then is angry at being forgotten for all this time.

His return is also complicated by the fact that having transitioned in Auckland, where he was fully accepted and didn’t carry any previous baggage, being in Rurangi brings up many issues.  One of these is his Maori roots, which is also a theme throughout Rurangi for other characters too.  Anahera for instance also struggles with being Maori, but not knowing the language or history intends to take some classes.  Even here though, there are difficulties, as in that class there are less than welcoming elements who have accused her of being a ‘plastic Maori’.

As you would expect, Caz’s arrival is met with some anger by his father Gerald (Kirk Torrance) who also doesn’t recognise him, but then doesn’t want anything to do with him.  Partly this is due to the silence for such a long time and the lost opportunity to help him, but also because of not returning for his mother’s funeral.  One of the most interesting elements in the story revolves around this point, as Caz states that had he remained in Rurangi, he would not have survived, and the only route was therefore to leave.  It’s painful, but understandable for all concerned, and an intriguing discussion on how to move forward when the options all pose difficulties.

There is also confusion and a dilemma for Caz’s old boyfriend Jem (Arlo Green) who like others doesn’t know Caz on first sight and then has difficulty reconciling his feelings.  Compared to Gerald he handles it more readily, but emotionally finds it very complicated.  He discovers that although it has been a long time he still has feelings for Caz, so has to figure out what that means, and accept it.

In many ways this is a very uncomfortable story for many of the characters and shame rears its head often.  They all carry some form of guilt about either the past or how they have reacted.  Caz is almost sheepish in most scenes, looking very lost and wanting to escape at every opportunity.  Similarly, Jem has moments of stumbling around awkwardly, not sure how to act and unsure of what he really thinks.  Unconnected to Caz’s arrival, Anahera’s struggles with her heritage have been building up for some time and she practices speaking Maori phrases in secret, not yet ready to try it public.  Gerald meanwhile, has become a green activist following his wife’s death, as it turns out that some of the chemicals they used on the farm contributed to it.

It’s a complex narrative and one that has been very well crafted to explore as many of the issues as possible in a sensitive manner.  The fact that this is possible lies particularly with the cast, who handle it exceptionally well, and give this a raw unswerving focus.  Carrad and Green especially give great performances at the centre of the story and bring honesty, depth and also humour to proceedings.

Although this has been adapted into a feature from a TV show, and at times that history is evident, it does still hang together without any major problems.  There are some elements that could have been expanded upon though, or feel like they might be if it returns to the TV format to continue the story.  It will be interesting to see if the writers do decide to develop this further and look at how Caz’s new life in Rurangi changes both the people around him, and the community.  Even if they don’t, what we have here is a fascinating film about acceptance, tough choices, guilt, and community, which hits all the marks it aims for.

Rurangi is showing as part of the BFI Flare Film Festival which continues until 28th March.