Been awhile since we wrote about this New Zealander flick… 2009 was the last time, when it was announced that it would be in the 2010 Sundance Film Festival lineup.
It has since played at a handful of other festivals, from the Berlinale to AFI Fest, picking up kudos along the way.
I haven’t seen it, so no review yet from me. But it looks like I’ll get my opportunity sooner than later, as distributor Paladin has acquired US rights to the film, and will release it here in the states, though no approximate dates have been given.
The film, titled simply Boy, directed by Taiki Waititi, was reportedly a big hit in its native country, and will not get its chance to impress others internationally.
The story goes… it’s 1984, and Michael Jackson is king – even in Waihau Bay, New Zealand. Here we meet Boy , an 11-year-old who lives on a farm with his granny, a goat, and his younger brother, Rocky (who thinks he has magic powers). Shortly after granny leaves for a week, Boy’s father, Alamein, appears out of the blue. Having imagined a heroic version of his father during his absence, Boy comes face to face with the real version – an incompetent hoodlum who has returned to find a bag of money he buried years before. This is where the goat enters… oh, and did I mention there’s a Michael Jackson sub-plot…
It looks and feels like a whimsical coming of age story with bit parts of works from Wes Anderson and Spike Jonze.
Intrigued? If not, maybe the below trailer will assist: