Shopping is set in New Zealand during the '80s, which
was a time of high racial tensions. Willie is a half-Samoan teenager whose home
situation, quite frankly, sucks. He cares for and protects his younger brother
while also working a crappy retail job stocking shelves, which is where he
meets Bennie, a bizarre thief who turns into a bit of a respite for Willie.
Willie uses his growing relationship with Bennie as a way to escape his
troubles at home before realizing that the ragtag group of thieves he's fallen
in with are actually more troublesome than he first thought.
The film's beginning is a bit slow, but it picks up speed as
it progresses. The best part is probably the relationship between Willie and
his younger brother since that dynamic is fairly believable. The music is also
pretty true to the time and works seamlessly with the film to add depth to the
scenes in a way that doesn't detract from the emotion of what may be occurring.
The altercations between Willie and his father are a little difficult to watch,
but they are a necessary part of the story. Aside from the slow start and
somewhat confusing end (mostly because I disagree with what happened), the film
doesn't seem to suffer from an inability to hold its audience.
