Boy

(Taika Waititi/2011/New Zealand) 

"We could not afford books, so we made our own"

The above line, from Patricia Grace’s novel Potiki, captures something of the essence of Maori culture; the importance of storytelling in defining themselves is crucial. And Taika Waititi brings this inclination to every aspect of Boy, a story set in 1984 about a family of Maori kids living with their grandmother after the death of their mum and desertion of their father. The boy of the title creates stories around his father’s absence to make sense of the hurtful situation. He invents his own mythology that defines his inherent sense of optimism and his belief in his father, a shield from the truth. His brother Rocky has superpowers, conferred on him at birth when their mother died in labour, again positively mythologizing a tragic event. When the father arrives back these stories also become a convenient way for him to sidestep the truth and he embellishes and expands the boy’s tales to great delight. 

But reality has a way of crashing into fantasies and the underlying sadness of this family’s situation eventually bubbles up and breaks through. The tone is perfect throughout, light hearted with the happy go lucky wonder of the kids humming off the screen in every scene. This is due to the performances of James Rolleston and Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu as the brothers and also the incidental animations bringing to life their drawings of their various stories. These animations brought to mind the TV show Moone Boy, also dealing with a young boy’s internal fantasy world, which appeared a year or so later and may, to a small degree, be indebted to this film. Waititi not only offers up a slice of authentic Maori experience but tells a coming of age tale that anyone can relate to. The Michael Jackson Haka at the end credits is a stroke of genius too.

 

(4/5)