(2023, 99 min)
Country: New Zealand
Director: Welby Ings
Studio: Dark Star Pictures
Language: English
SYNOPSIS: The feature-length debut of acclaimed short film director Welby Ings, Punch is an inspiring and romantic gay drama set in the boxing world of New Zealand. Jim (Jordan Oosterhof) is a promising teenage boxer, training under the watch of his demanding and alcoholic father (Tim Roth). When Jim develops a relationship with fellow classmate Whetu (Conan Hayes), a Maori boy who spends his days in an old shack down by the beach, the two are to navigate isolation, homophobia and the of small-town life. As Jim discovers what it means to be gay, he realizes how little strength has to do with heroism.
REVIEW:
In writer-director Welby Ings’ debut feature, “Punch,” Jordan Oosterhof plays the handsome young boxer Jim, beloved by the ladies and admired by many of the lads in his seaside New Zealand town. Then Jim befriends Whetu (Conan Hayes), an openly gay high schooler and aspiring singer-songwriter who squats in a shack on the beach and suffers the verbal and physical abuse of local hooligans. Their relationship gradually blossoms into something more, threatening Jim’s budding career, his reputation in the community, and his relationship with his loving but troubled father (Tim Roth). The plot of “Punch” follows a fairly predictable path, and it lurches into overheated melodrama in its second half. But Ings does a fine job of capturing the instant connection between these two young men and in conveying Jim’s combination of excitement and terror when he realizes this bond could evolve easily into a romance.
--Review By Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times (https://www.latimes.com/)
