Boy Initial Response

Write your response to the film using the following points:

1. Write a BRIEF plot review
2. Discuss character that you found interesting and describe why they stood out to you.
3. Write about a scene that stood out to you. Why was it interesting?
4. What message do you think the director, Taika Waititi, was conveying in the text. Use an example to support your explanation.
5. Write about cinematography techniques that was of interest to you. Why was it effective/surprising/distracting?
6. Give your reflections on the setting. Why do you think it was set in Waihau Bay in 1984? Write about the director showcases the setting.

The Film ‘Boy’ is about a young boy who lives in Waihau Bay. His dad that he thinks highly of comes home after not being around all his life. He faces challenges with his dad, as his dad gets quite angry and Boy realises that his dad isn’t as amazing as he thought he was. The area Boy lives in isn’t very wealthy so he dreams of living in the city with his dad and going to see Micheal Jackson live.

I enjoyed the very last scene of all the characters dancing with a thriller theme. It was like Thriller with a Maori twist. I thought it was good way to end the the film as you got to see each of the characters which kind of reminded you of their role in the film.

I found Rocky to be quite an interesting character. Rocky is Boys younger brother. He is very quiet and keeps to himself. He believes he has superpowers and thinks he killed his mum with them. In the film he draws a lot to show what he thinks his superpowers are doing. Instead of using dialogue, Rocky’s thoughts are expressed through his drawings. He stood out to me because even tho he spoke very little throughout the film he was a big part of it.

One cinematography technique I enjoyed was when they made Rocky’s drawings come to life to show what he was thinking. There were also a few birds eye view shots of boy as he wandered through where he lived. This showed how rural they were living and all the landscapes around Waihau bay. There were no major buildings just open fields, beaches and nature. another technique I liked was when Shogun started dancing like Micheal Jackson in Boys imagination. This showed how cool Boy thought his dad was as he was comparing him to the very well known Micheal Jackson.

I think Taika Waititi was just trying to show what its like for a young boy growing up in 1984 in a rural Maori town. It may have been common for some of the kids in that area to not a have a father figure around. Boy also had big dreams of going to the city. Lots of the kids from this area probably have the same dream as they have lived rural all their life.

I think it was based in 1984 as some of the characters were named after famous people from that era. For example ‘Rocky’, Dallas and Dynasty. Dallas and Dynasty was a TV show from this time. Micheal Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ video also had a massive part in the film as it was Boy’s dream to see him live. Thriller was released in 1982 which is around the time this film was set.