Finding Honk (2026)

Screening as part of Doc Edge 2026

When singing legend Hemi Pere is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he tasks his son, Hayden, with finding an estranged family member, “Honk”, so they can make peace before time runs out. As Hayden navigates Honk’s connections within the criminal underbelly, he must decipher clues and red herrings to solve the mystery of Honk’s whereabouts. The closer Hayden comes to finding Honk, the further he travels into danger. To fulfil his father’s dying wish, Hayden is pulled into the shadows of his own family history, where vengeful enemies and hidden truths threaten everything he holds dear.

Finding Honk is one of those documentaries that refuses to sit neatly in a single category. It opens with the emotional weight of a family crisis, then veers into a crime‑tinged treasure hunt, then slips into something that feels almost like a scripted drama. The result is a film that is constantly shifting under your feet, sometimes gripping, sometimes bewildering, but never dull.

The premise is simple enough. Hemi Pere, a beloved singer facing a terminal diagnosis, asks his son Hayden to track down an estranged family member known as Honk. It is a final wish, a plea for reconciliation before time runs out. Hayden agrees, and what begins as a personal mission quickly spirals into a journey through the darker corners of Aotearoa’s underbelly. The film follows him as he chases leads, deciphers half‑truths, and tries to untangle the complicated threads of his family’s past.

At its heart, the story is about a son trying to honour his father. That emotional core is genuine, and it anchors the film even when the narrative becomes chaotic. The connection between the filmmakers and the Hohaia whānau gives the documentary a sense of intimacy that might otherwise be lost in the noise of car chases, cryptic clues, and encounters with people who seem pulled from a crime series. The themes of forgiveness, generational trauma, and the desire to mend old wounds run through the film like a quiet current beneath the louder stylistic choices.

But the style is impossible to ignore. Finding Honk is shot and edited with a slickness that feels unusual for a documentary. The audio is crisp. The scenes are composed with dramatic precision. The confrontations unfold with a sense of choreography. At times, it feels less like a documentary and more like a biopic reenactment. The line between reality and reconstruction blurs, and not always in a way that serves the story.

There are moments when the film feels almost too polished. The tension is heightened. The pacing accelerates. The music swells. The camera angles shift into something cinematic. You start to wonder how much of what you are seeing is spontaneous and how much has been shaped for effect. It is not that the events feel impossible, but the presentation sometimes makes them feel staged. The documentary wants to be gritty, but the glossiness of the production undercuts that grit.

This creates a strange viewing experience. You are invested in Hayden’s search. You want him to find Honk. You want the reconciliation. But the film’s dramatic flourishes occasionally pull you out of the moment. It is reminiscent of shows like Outrageous Fortune, where crime, family drama, and humour collide in a heightened version of reality. That comparison is not a criticism, but it does highlight the tonal ambiguity. The documentary seems caught between wanting to tell a true story and wanting to entertain.

The entertainment value is undeniable. There are frantic sequences involving cars, criminals, and unexpected detours. There are scenes where the documentary crew becomes increasingly involved, blurring the boundary between observer and participant. There are comedic beats that land surprisingly well, especially when Hayden reacts to yet another dead end or bizarre clue. The film has momentum, and once it picks up speed, it rarely slows down.

But the pacing comes at a cost. Some plot points rush by without explanation. Some characters appear briefly and vanish. Some clues feel like red herrings that were never meant to be solved. The film asks the audience to simply go along for the ride, to accept the chaos as part of the experience. That approach works if you surrender to it, but it can also leave you feeling slightly unmoored.

What keeps the film grounded is Hayden himself. He is not a polished protagonist. He is a son trying to do right by his father, even when the path becomes dangerous. His vulnerability, frustration, and determination give the documentary its emotional weight. When he talks about Hemi, the tone shifts. The noise fades. The film remembers what it is really about. Those moments are the most affecting, and they remind you that beneath the stylised presentation lies a very real story of love and loss.

The film also explores the shadows of family history. Secrets, grudges, and unresolved conflicts shape the journey as much as the clues Hayden follows. The search for Honk becomes a search for understanding, not just of one man, but of the family as a whole. The documentary touches on the ways trauma can echo across generations, how silence can become its own kind of inheritance, and how reconciliation is often more complicated than simply finding someone.

By the final act, the film becomes increasingly frantic. The stakes rise. The danger becomes more palpable. The search for Honk takes on a mythic quality, as if Hayden is chasing a ghost rather than a person. The documentary crew becomes part of the narrative, reacting to the chaos with a mix of concern and disbelief. It is messy, unpredictable, and strangely compelling.

When the story reaches its conclusion, the emotional payoff lands. The film circles back to Hemi, to the reason the journey began. The noise quiets. The style softens. The documentary remembers its heart. It is in these final moments that the film’s strengths shine through. The emotional truth outweighs the stylistic excess. The story becomes human again.

Finding Honk is not a traditional documentary. It is part mystery, part family drama, part crime story, and part emotional road trip. It is messy, bold, and sometimes frustrating. It is also heartfelt, funny, and unexpectedly moving. The style will divide audiences, but the core story has weight. It is a film that asks you to suspend disbelief, embrace the chaos, and follow Hayden into the shadows of his family’s past.

Whether you love it or question it, the journey is unforgettable.

Screening as part of Doc Edge 2026. Check out the films and screenings here

Review written by Alex Moulton