Following the death of his mother, Caz returns to his rural New Zealand home and is forced to face up to unresolved issues with his family.
Caz hasn’t been home in a decade. He left believing that his family wouldn’t accept his trans identity. But finding himself on hard times and drawn back home after his mother’s death, he leaves Auckland for home. Although his father struggles to accept that his daughter is now a trans man, Caz is surprised by the reception he receives. Not everyone is against him and what prejudice he does experience is soon countered by the support of those who have embraced him.
Featuring an entirely gender diverse cast, Max Currie’s film, based on a subtle and emotionally rich screenplay by Cole Meyers and Oliver Page, profits from an excellent lead performance by Elz Carrad, making his screen debut. Originally conceived as a five-part web series, Rūrangi’s strengths lie in its impressive sense of place and desire to overturn clichéd stereotypes of the contrast between city and rural attitudes. It’s a film that highlights how change is not limited to one community and time can heal the rawest of wounds.
