The director Taika Waititi always wanted to be: “I love all of his films”
Few modern directors have as recognisable a style as Taika Waititi. From his early indie work like Boy and Hunt for the Wilderpeople to more recent hits, Jojo Rabbit and the Thor movies for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), there is a streak of dry wit and sharp, naturalistic speech that defines so many of his best characters. He doesn’t always strike gold, but let it never be said that he doesn’t know his own brand to a tee.
It’s hard to imagine someone as original as Waititi needing inspiration, but even the most idiosyncratic of creative minds need something to jump-start them. The native New Zealander has taken obvious notes from his fellow countrymen and their Australian neighbours, particularly the greats of antipodean comedy, but in terms of singular idols, Waititi looks to the work of American filmmaker Hal Ashby.
Breaking through during the revolutionary New Hollywood phase of popular cinema, Ashby began his career as an editor, winning an Oscar for his work on Norman Jewison’s In the Heat of the Night. His directorial efforts are often associated with various countercultural movements. There’s Harold and Maude, a black comedy about a death-obsessed young man and his much older girlfriend, Second Hand-Hearts, an inverse romcom about an alcoholic who accidentally marries a widow, and Coming Home, a romantic drama about a woman (Jane Fonda) who falls in love with a disabled Vietnam veteran (Jon Voight), while her husband (Bruce Dern) serves overseas.
According to Waititi, Coming Home is the best of Ashby’s canon. “It’s just an amazing film,” he told Rotten Tomatoes, “Amazing performances, it’s about something, amazing emotional stuff, and it’s just about people—people trying to connect. There’s a simplicity to it, but it’s really engaging the entire time.” He singled out for praise Waldo Salt’s script and Voight’s commitment to his part, which included living with actual Vietnam vets and refusing to leave his wheelchair on set.
“I love all of his films,” Waititi said of Ashby. “If there’s any filmmaker I would love to be, it would be him… You think about something like Harold and Maude, which is, to me, one of the most flawless films there is. There’s always the great films, like Harold and Maude, sure; but then there’s ones that people kind of forget about, you know, or they sort of get swept to the side a little—and I think Coming Home is one of those films.”
The What We Do in the Shadows star isn’t the only one who loves Coming Home. Fonda credits it with saving her career, and it achieved success, both critically and commercially, becoming one of the 20 highest-grossing movies of 1978. In terms of awards, it was nominated for both the Palme d’Or at Cannes and ‘Best Picture’ at the Oscars. Voight and Fonda both scooped Academy prizes in their respective acting categories, while the Waldo Salt script that Waititi adores so much was named ‘Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen’.
Every director who has been inspired by Taiki Waititi and his work owes another ‘thank you’ to the late, great Hal Ashby. His decision to lead with unconventional stories and put great characters and performances ahead of everything else can clearly be seen in the Māori icon’s best work.
