Boy (New Zealand Film)

Release date: March 25, 2010
Director: Taika Waititi
Screenplay by: Taika Waititi
Cast: James Rolleston, Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu, Taika Waititi

Boy is the story of Alamein. He is called Boy because he is named after his father that is named after his father that is named after the place where a war once was held. We follow him in the house he lives in with his grandmother, all of his cousins and his little brother. Boy loves Michael Jackson, the hotter older girl that attends his school and his cool dad that is off somewhere in the world.

The children fend for themselves when their grandmother has to leave for a funeral. That is when Boy’s long-lost father returns, and with him all the hope Boy used to dream of him.

The film was cute, it was silly and it had amazing child actors. I am usually sceptical about movies with children as the leads, but this worked. Not only are we presented with the beauty that is New Zealand, but we are also given a glimpse as to how the society there used to be. I felt sorry for the kids, I felt sorry for the adults, but mostly I felt sorry for finding the film amusing when it really is kind of sad.

However, the way Boy is portrayed hides the sadness behind the hilarity. How can you be sad when you live in the beautiful New Zealand? Plus, Boy is not sad. He lives his life as best as he can, even when reality strikes him, he does not get sad. In that way this movie is heart-warming.

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