Short Review: Boy (2010)

Boy is wonderful! Effortlessly hilarious but also warmly moving. Boy is a startlingly honest dual coming-of-age film about two brothers, Boy (James Rolleston) and Rocky (Te Aho Eketone-Whitu) trying to understand and deal with the death of their mother and their estrangement from their unstable and irresponsible father, who's surprise visit home wildly alters their young lives and threatens their innocence. Writer/director Taika Waititi gives a strong performance as the boys' incompetent father, but it is the young performers who really shine. Each give great individual performances but they also share a beautiful chemistry. Winner of the audience award at the Sydney Film Festival, Boy is a real crowd-pleaser and sleeper hit. It's reserved, quirky, unflinchingly honest and full of memorable moments.

My Rating: 4 Stars