Boy

It's the early 1980s and Michael Jackson's popularity is so huge that it even reaches the isolated Maori rural community of Waihau Bay, New Zealand. Boy (James Rolleston) is an 11-year old boy who lives with his grandma and with his younger brother Rocky (Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu) on a small goat farm. Boy idolises both Michael Jackson and his erstwhile father, Alamein (Taika Waititi), whilst his brother thinks he has special powers because their mum died whilst giving birth to him. When Alamein returns from a stint in gaol and comes looking for some buried loot, Boy and Rocky find themselves faced with a father they've never really known - a man who doesn't quite match up to the heroic figure Boy imagined him to be.

Over the last few years writer-director Taika Waititi has been quietly paving a pathway to auteur status through his involvement with the cult comedy series Flight of the Conchords and hilarious New Zealand indie film Eagle Vs. Shark. With Boy Waititi finally takes centre stage as writer, director and star, and delivers an incredibly likeable and moving film about reality and responsibility. It's a more dramatic effort than Eagle Vs. Shark but Waititi hasn't lost that gentle, quirky sense of humour either - making this a very satisfying film with just the right level of nostalgia for anyone who ever grew up at the arse-end of the world.

Not being Maori, or from a rural New Zealand coastal town, I can't really claim any intimate connection to the film, but I could certainly associate with the impact of Michael Jackson and E.T. on my Australian childhood, and I think there's certainly some shared cultural heritage between Australia and New Zealand in terms of our social history and the way we relate to the rest of the world. If Boy gets at least one thing right it's the attention to detail that makes it feel like it's 1984... the kids hopelessly trying to moonwalk, the way they ape Michael Jackson's fashion, the way that Alamein idolises the book Shogun, and the references to E.T. as a unifying experience. The film also goes beyond getting the pop culture right though, it captures the essence of life at this time... I liked how it didn't pass comment when one of the younger characters showed evidence of domestic violence (a black eye), or when Boy is offered a sip of his dad's beer. It's just how it was back then, and the film including this kind of thing without condemning or condoning it is a big part of how it captures that elusive sense of time and memory.

Boy isn't just about nostalgia though, a lot of it's charm comes from the central performances of James Rolleston and Taika Waititi. Rolleston is an enthusiastic and natural performer despite his inexperience... his character starts out the film as the man of the house in his father's absence. But when his dad returns, Boy is eager to make a good impression on him as he fears that he might leave again. Waititi gives an endearingly selfish performance as Alamein, a character very much cut from the same cloth as Jarrod from Eagle Vs. Shark - a man who has never really grown up and isn't anywhere as cool as he seems to think he is. Boy may think he needs to learn how to be a man from his father, but it's actually Alamein who needs to learn responsibility from his son. It makes for an interesting dynamic that drives the entire film, and makes for equal parts humour and drama. Witness the scene where Boy tries to impress a prospective girlfriend named Chardonnay - he does this by pretending to drive his dad's car, cooking some potatoes in a microwave, and playing fetch with an unresponsive goat, all before unceremoniously asking her to 'do it' with him. It's such a charming combination of boyish naivete and bad advice from a bad father that it's hard not to laugh.

Boy is a wonderful and brilliant movie that needs to be seen to be truly appreciated. You can't properly capture it's infectious sense of humour in words, just go see it and be elated. You'll probably hear a lot of hyperbolic praise in connection to this film, but this is only because those who see it know that there are a lot of people out there who'll get immense enjoyment from it.

HIGHLIGHTS: I liked these two bits of dialogue...

(on playing poker machines) "It's better to risk everything and be real poor rather than sit around being a bit poor"

and
Boy's Friend: We're self-employed now.
Boy: What's your job?
Boy's Friend: Chucking mud at those cows.

Also, the recreations of iconic Michael Jackson filmclips like Billie Jean, Beat It and Thriller were especially entertaining.

DIRECTOR: Taika Waititi
WRITER/SOURCE: Taika Waititi
KEY ACTORS: Taika Waititi, James Rolleston, Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu, Craig Hall

RELATED TEXTS:
- Eagle Vs. Shark shares a similar setting, a similar character, the same creative team, and some of the same actors. Taika Waititi originally intended to make Boy first but decided to do Eagle Vs. Shark while he continued developing the script.
- 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous is another quirky film about coming-of-age in rural New Zealand. It isn't anywhere near as good, but it's worth a look.
- The Australian film The Oyster Farmer features a similar plotline regarding an immature man forced to stay in an isolated community whilst he searches for stolen loot.
- Whale Rider and Once Were Warriors offer some less humourous and more stereotypical depictions of growing up Maori.

AWARDS:
Nominated for a World Cinema award by the Sundance Film Festival. Also won a Best Film award at a German film festival.