Punch

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1:26

Punch

2023

1h 38m

Drama

LGBTQ+

Sports

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Jim is a seventeen-year-old boxer in a small town. He is a golden boy, preparing for a fight that will elevate him to an early professional status. All bets are on his climb to success. But his father Stan is a demanding coach and a notorious alcoholic. In the town Stan is treated like a joke but he has given everything to see his son gain professional status and escape the brutality of his small world. As Jim begins to rethink why he is fighting his life tangles with Whetu, a razor-tongued, gay Maori boy who spends his days in an old shack down by the beach. With his dog Moimoi he cobbles together a fragile glamour and dreams of leaving town to become a musician. As Jim stumbles towards discovering what it really is to be a gay man, he is forced to see that strength has little to do with heroism.

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Cath Clarke

Guardian

11/08/2023

3/5

It’s a delicate film with a pair of lovely, natural-feeling performances from its two leads.

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Noel Murray

Los Angeles Times

03/10/2023

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.

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Kyle Turner

New York Times

03/09/2023

Flowing and keenly observant of its characters and setting, “Punch” swings above its weight class.

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Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

11/21/2023

3.5/5

Writer-director Welby Ings makes the most of the setting's natural beauty and the toxic masculinity that oozes throughout the premise, both of which add layers to the characters.

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Ben Turner

The Pink Lens

11/09/2023

4/5

Drenched in the cold light of the seashore, these two opposites find themselves in each other. And alongside them, we fall in love with them both.

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Darryl Griffiths

Movie Marker

03/13/2023

3/5

Punch could benefit from being more studied in its attack, but the collective efforts of its committed ensemble make it worth going a few rounds with.

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John S

@MarignyJohn May 16

Enjoyable deep feeling movie.

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Lucas L

@RT14321406 08/27/2025

Bem bom!! Mas eu só queria conseguir entender como o protagonista arranjava tempo pra treinar boxe e ser tão bom, cuidar do pai, cuidar da casa, se alimentar tão bem, correr, malhar, estudar, namorar uma moça, namorar um rapaz, sair com os amigos e ainda fazer tudo bem feito! Ele deve ter um colar vira-tempo da Hermione, porque não é possível kkkk

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Stephen C

@bob25009 06/11/2025

Sports and pride in 1 hour and 38 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Brendon E

@Brendon1234 04/20/2025

A brilliantly written and acted emotional NZ film, definitely worth watching.

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Lana t

@RT48857590 02/02/2025

It's a great movie, very authentic and heartfelt. The writing and acting are spectacular and the main characters are multifaceted. The whole outdoor ambiance of New Zealand is very unusual and interesting. Had to look away during some scenes but the movie does a good job of rectifying those moments later.

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Jeremy C

@RT05070533 04/16/2024

Wistful, touching and honest. It's a great flick to cuddle up on the couch and watch. The acting (and chemistry) by the two leads is tremendous and Tim Roth anchors these as an alcoholic father you can't help but feel for. The infatuation between Jim and Whetu nails the coming-of-age vibe and the small town homophobia feels real, though the hate crime did feel a little too shock and awe. The whole endeavour was pretty great until the last 10 minutes, where it suddenly goes an off the rails. Whilst the end is sweet, it feels a bit half baked.

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Welby Ings

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Synopsis

Jim is a seventeen-year-old boxer in a small town. He is a golden boy, preparing for a fight that will elevate him to an early professional status. All bets are on his climb to success. But his father Stan is a demanding coach and a notorious alcoholic. In the town Stan is treated like a joke but he has given everything to see his son gain professional status and escape the brutality of his small world. As Jim begins to rethink why he is fighting his life tangles with Whetu, a razor-tongued, gay Maori boy who spends his days in an old shack down by the beach. With his dog Moimoi he cobbles together a fragile glamour and dreams of leaving town to become a musician. As Jim stumbles towards discovering what it really is to be a gay man, he is forced to see that strength has little to do with heroism.

Director: Welby Ings
Producer: Robin Murphy, Catherine Fitzgerald
Screenwriter: Welby Ings, Welby Ings
Distributor: Dark Star Pictures
Production Co: Yellow Affair, Blueskin Films Ltd., Punch Productions, Prospect Films, New Zealand Film Commission, Robin Murphy Productions
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+, Sports
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 10, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2023
Runtime: 1h 38m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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