To give a bit of understanding of what the film Boy is actually about I’ll try and explain. Boy is about, surprisingly, a boy nicknamed ‘Boy’ (James Rolleston) who now lives with his grandma and cousins after his mum died during the birth to his now 6 year old brother, Rocky (Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu). His dad, Alamein (Taika Waititi), had completely removed himself from their life shortly after the death. Boy’s grandma is out of town, so he takes the role as the adult at the ripe old age of 11 years old to Rocky, several younger cousins and a goat, whom he converses with. Boy constantly awaits Alamein’s return and looks up to him immensely even though he hasn’t been there to look up to. This doesn’t last long as Alamein shows up. From this point, I do really recommend watching it. It’s a beautifully gentle film where there are some very touching moments carefully placed throughout. I put that last sentence in as I am unsure of how much to reveal about the exact story of Boy. You don’t need a play by play retelling of what happens, you need a spare hour and a half to go and watch Boy.
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This type of missing is the one that is immensely heavy as there is no opportunity for that person coming back to you. I feel that this is where the contrast arises between Boy and Rocky. In the film, Boy is dealing with the type of lost that can be rectified so in a way he is denying that his father is gone for good and always lives in that hope that he does come back no matter how long he has been away. Rocky is more focused on the loss of his mother, who to put it bluntly, isn’t coming back. The focus on this particular type of missing could be an explanation as to why Rocky is more down the path of acceptance when it comes to loss. |
Rocky's imagination is seen as drawings throughout the film
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