Boy
Director: Taika Waititi
Writer: Taika Waititi
Cast: James Rolleston, Te Aho Eketone-Whitu, Taika Waititi, Moerangi Tihore, Cherilee Martin, Rachel House
Seen on: 24./25.3.2026

Content Note: animal death

Plot:
Boy (James Rolleston) and his brother Rocky (Te Aho Eketone-Whitu) live with their grandmother since their mother is dead and their father is a somewhat mythical figure to Boy, but one definitely gone, almost as mythical and distant as Michael Jackson of whom Boy is the biggest fan. But then their father Alamein (Taika Waititi) comes back from prison to look for a bag of money he has hidden. This gives Boy and Rocky a chance to reconnect with him.

Boy is fun in a „maybe a little too much“ way. But it always finds its way back to the emotional core. It is a story, after all, about a boy who is learning that his father isn’t all that, and that is both sad and liberating.

Boy is filled to the brim with 80s and Michael Jackson references, culminating, finally, in a recreation of the famous Thriller music video. Now, I am no great Michael Jackson fan, but his cultural impact is undeniable, and the movie definitely pays tribute to this influence. That being said, it felt a little gimmicky at times, and would have proftied, I think, from a more direct connection to the plot.

The same can be said of Alamein’s fancies. He imagines himself to be many things, almost as many as Boy imagined him to be. At times, Waititi overdoes it, and I felt myself wishing to a slightly dialed-back version of this character and Waititi’s performance. One where we are allowed to feel the emptiness at Alamein’s center, his pain, a little more.

The movie is not about him, it’s about Boy (and Rocky, to a lesser extent), and Rolleston is absolutely perfect in the role, I have to say. He is funny and vulnerable, and even when one can see a few things coming that come as a surprise to him, his bewilderment, or even sense of betrayal is palpable.

The film has many creative touches, and is also an honest look at the Maori community there that is definitely not without its troubles, or without its strengths. It is definitely still a film worth seeing, even if I didn’t completely love it.

Summarizing: recommended.