Punch tells the story of Jim - 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.
