Rūrangi

Trailer.

Available Summary:

"Caz returns home to the small dairy farming community of Rurangi, New Zealand, seeking to rebuild relationships with his friends, his ex-boyfriend and his estranged father." -IMDb.

Jack's Summary:

Season 1 of this wonderful, amazing, genuinely groundbreaking show was also released as a feature film, which is how I watched it. In either category (film or show) Rūrangi is arguably the best piece of trans male media that exists, and it’s certainly among my favourites. Plus, most crucially, it's extremely high quality. It's watchable beyond the trans themes, well-written and well-acted. I haven’t yet watched season 2, so this review is only for the film version (AKA season 1), but the trailer for season 2 looks fucking incredible and I have no doubt that it’ll be an amazing watch.

A Māori trans man (Elz Carrad) was cast in the role of Caz, the protagonist of Rūrangi. The majority of the cast and crew were trans, the writer (Cole Meyers) was trans, and the director (Max Currie) was a self-described “salty old homosexual”. Beyond the LGBT+ representation both in and behind the scenes, Māori actors play Māori characters, and average townsfolk are represented by actors who you could easily imagine inhabiting an actual dairy farming community. The film looks, feels, and is genuinely authentic.

Caz, the protagonist, returns to his hometown to reconnect with his father. It's a tough reunion. His father initially resists acknowledging his son and is bitter about his child's decade-long absence, during which Caz's mother died. The film tackles transphobia, homophobia, suicide, alcohol misuse, and mental illness, so you should be prepared for that. But it's beautiful storytelling, and not at all cheap or voyeuristic. A theme included in this movie that I didn't expect was Caz encountering exhaustion after years of being an out trans activist, finding himself overwhelmed by the young, desperate trans people who rely on him. I've never seen a film capture that particular struggle, and hadn't realised how badly I needed to that affirmation.

I loved Caz's chemistry with men onscreen, both with his ex-boyfriend (who is coming to terms with his bisexuality) and another male lover. I also adored his friendship with Anahera, a Māori woman who is either lesbian or bisexual, and coming to terms with her own cultural identity.

I can’t recommend Rūrangi enough. It’s awesome.