Uproar

Main character Josh has a larger body type. This doesn't define his character, though he's teased by other kids at school, who say "chugga chugga, big Black engine coming through" when he walks. He wears a leotard and his brother tells him to "put it away," and there are jokes about it getting stuck. The central family is biracial. Josh and Jamie's father was Māori and their mother is White British. Characters of Māori descent are played by actors of Māori descent, including Julian Dennison in the central role. The family are portrayed as a strong unit, in which Shirley is a single mother following her husband's death. She's caring and hardworking, though the family struggle financially. Racism is shown toward Josh at school, with kids calling him "boon" and saying characters in a play weren't Māori. "Coconut" is also used to refer to a Samoan character. A scene sees a Māori woman call out performative White allyship when a White woman chants words she doesn't know the meaning of, and tells Māori characters to "get over it," referring to the past of the local town.

Protests include throwing glass and being beaten with batons, slapped and pushed to the ground, kicked, and stamped on. People are left lying on the ground with blood on their heads. An older person is hospitalized and seen in bed with an oxygen mask. Bullying includes name-calling, physical fighting, having a rugby ball kicked at a character (though it doesn't hit them). Racist graffiti is displayed and a building burned down in a presumed racist attack. A person hits another in the Adam's apple during a self-defense demonstration. Rugby matches are rough; a teen hurts their arm and has to leave the pitch. Death of a father is mentioned.

Crude sexual gesture.

Language includes "f--k" written in graffiti. Characters use "s--t," "bulls--t," "pr--k," "bitch," "bastard," "ass," "crap," "piss," "bloody," "hell." Exclamations of "God" and "Jesus." "Moron" and "poofta" are in a play script, and the play has "foreskin" in the title. "Homo" is used during bullying. White characters call a Samoan character "coconut" and a Māori character "boon," and a Māori character calls another "brown boy."

Two adults drink beer on a porch. Passing reference to a character being drunk. A high school sports coach invites underage teens back to their house to drink beer (though it's not seen on-screen).