This is a really delightful movie. It’s set in New Zealand and is about an 11 year old maori child called Boy (played by James Rolleston). Typically for indigenous people in New Zealand, Boy lives in an extended family. His mother died young and his father’s most recent known whereabouts was in prison. Boy’s home is a rural family house on the outskirts of a small country town and his care is provided by his grandmother. Boy attends the local primary school and spends his days playing with his friends, talking with his goat (Leaf) and dreaming of a better, more exciting life, which includes a romance with the apple-of-his-eye, classmate Chardonnay (by RickyLee Waipuka-Russell). One day, Boy’s grandmother has to leave town for a while to attend a funeral some distance away, so Boy is left to care for his younger brother Rocky (by Te Aho Eketone-whitu) and several other younger cousins. After a day or so, Boy’s father (by Taiki Waititi) arrives with two ex-cell mates and day-to-day life becomes far more exciting for Boy – he idolizes his father and has stars in his eyes when his dad turns up and seems an almost magic person.
I understand this is the most successful New Zealand film ever, rating in the top ten of all time at the NZ box office. Along with playing the wonderful role as Boy’s wayward father, Taika Waititi has also written and directed this piece – it is his second movie and it is excellent. Enjoy!
