Reading Log 3: Boy

Written and Directed By – Taika Waititi

The film is set in late 1984 in the small settlement of Raukokore on the North Island of New Zealand. This  rural coastal region is known for gang crime and poverty. Preteen Alamein Ranginui, called ‘Boy’ by most who know him, is an 11 year old Maori boy under the care of his grandmother, ‘Nan’. His mother, Joanie, died seven years  ago giving child birth to his younger brother Rocky. His father, also named Alamein, who he doesn’t really remember, has long been in jail for robbery.

Boy and Rocky live with several of their cousins. While Rocky has been made to believe he possesses magical powers, Boy is prone to fantasy, often dreaming about a life with his father and the person with whom he is most obsessed – Michael Jackson. He also has a crush on a girl named Chardonnay. 

Nan takes off for a week or so to attend a funeral in Wellington. She leaves Boy in charge of the house and the rest of the children. During that time, they receive an unexpected visit from Alamein,who broke out of jail, and two of his friends, Juju and Chuppa. Because of his fantasies about his father, Boy welcomes the three into the house. He plans on taking Rocky to leave with them when they go, as he believes that’s what families do. Boy learns that they have come for “buried treasure” – in reality the money from the robbery, 

Alamein can’t remember the exact location of where he buried it on the property, which only reinforces Boy’s notion that their dad and he and Rocky can live a good life together. After spending a little time with his father Boy realises he is not the heroic man he thought he was.

I found Rocky to be quite an interesting character. Rocky is Boy’s 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 though he spoke very little throughout the film he was a big part of it. His actions and thoughts were enough to build up his personality without lots of conversation. Due to his lack of talking Rocky was quite mysterious but we can tell he is very loving and caring. We see this when he becomes friends with ‘Weirdo’,a strange fat man.

Overall I think this film tells a very good story about beliefs – childhood beliefs and our beliefs about how families should be.  This is a  movie for all ages because it’s easy to watch, funny,  charming, captivating and quirky. I can’t personally relate to Boy’s  circumstances but I believe everyone needs a role model and someone to look up to. Without  good ones people can look up to the wrong people and get lead astray, and that is something everyone can empathise with.