Welcome back to another issue of Your Movie Mage, where I discuss underrated movies across genres. Last week, we discussed the solemn yet heartfelt, Oscar-nominated film, “Monsieur Lazhar.” This week, we’ll be covering the highly underrated, original and creative, “Boy,” written and directed by Taika Waititi.
“Boy” follows Alamein Jr., aka Boy, an 11-year-old kid living in a small town in New Zealand—the same place Waititi grew up. The film is set in the early ‘80s, with no access to the internet, and Boy has an obsession with Michael Jackson. Boy lives with his younger brother, his cousins and his grandma. Boy’s mother died giving birth to his brother, Rocky, and his father left and ended up in jail after stealing money. Boy idolizes his father despite the reality of his poor parenting and absence.
Because Boy doesn’t know his dad, he creates stories about his life based on the limited information he does have about him. Boy claims he’s an amazing man capable of just about anything. He is a young boy who idolizes his absent father, who Boy learns is in jail and is not as great as he thinks.
As the film goes on, we learn with Boy that his dad is worse than we thought. Upon his return, Alamein spends some time with his sons but is primarily interested in finding the stolen money he buried. Something I love about this film was that Alamein wasn’t so bad; the focus was on him spending time with Boy, who was happy to oblige. It is easy to ignore Alamein’s clear desire to find his money and leave his sons again. Once I rewatched it, I saw Alamein more clearly, though it was interesting to experience what Boy felt.
Rocky is less interested in Alamein, seemingly seeing through his guise of wanting to spend time with them. Rocky is a quiet and introspective young kid grieving his mother, whose death he feels responsible for. I find Rocky so interesting, as he felt so real, which is uncommon with child characters in films. Getting a child to express complex emotions is difficult, especially for a 6-year-old like Rocky. But, both in writing and directing, it’s clearly done masterfully. It’s also worth noting that the actors playing almost all the characters are not professional actors, and the kids are from small New Zealand towns.
Waititi had written this screenplay before making his first film, “Eagle vs Shark,” where he seemingly learned a lot, as the progression between the two projects is amazing. It’s clear that “Boy” came straight from the heart and was filled with his emotions, thoughts and experiences—despite not being an autobiography. Waititi’s ability to make a movie that is subtle yet moving and fun is truly impressive.
I have met nobody who has seen this movie. Even my dad, who introduced me to Taika Waititi’s films, has not seen it. It’s incredibly underrated but an amazing second film in Waititi ‘s filmography. It’s truly inspirational that he managed to create such a touching film on such a small budget and working with family, friends and locals from his hometown.
The soundtrack is gorgeous and fits the movie perfectly. Every time I see the final scene, which is emotional and a solid ending, I think about how much heart went into this film. There’s one particular song that you can only listen to if you watch the movie or if you live in New Zealand called “Here We Are” by The Phoenix Foundation. Every time I watch this film, I hunt for at least an hour on the internet to find somewhere to buy the album, as it’s truly beautiful.
“Boy” is a truly special film with amazing visuals and style that stand out. The low budget works perfectly with the film and elevates it, as it allows Waititi’s creativity to shine. It was clearly very personal to him and that made it feel personal to the audience too. I haven’t heard anybody talk about this movie, despite Waititi’s rise in success following his subsequent projects, so I give this movie an underratedness score of 5/5.