Boy

In this semi-autobiographical film, New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi spins a fanciful tale about an 11-year-old Maori boy who worships Michael Jackson. Set in 1984, the story finds Boy (James Rolleston) living on tribal lands with his grandmother Nan, younger brother Rocky, pet goat Leaf, and a houseful of cousins. Boy is a fabulist who tells his Waihau Bay neighbors that his widowed father, Alamein (Waititi), works overseas, although he is actually in prison for robbery. When other kids make fun of him, Boy fights back, and often finds himself in trouble, although a teacher tells him he has "potential." Boy also imagines that older classmate Chardonnay (RickyLee Waipuka-Russell) is his girlfriend, although she expresses no interest in him. When Alamein returns home after several years, Boy is over the moon (Boy believes that Alamein can dance like Jackson, which leads to Maori-by-way-of-Bollywood interpretations of the "Beat It" and "Thriller" videos). Initially, Boy emulates Alamein—which makes him a bit of a boor—but once Boy realizes that his emotionally-stunted father cares more about his missing loot than his kids, Boy's affection wanes. An enjoyable indigenous comic drama, this is recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include “Interviews & B-Roll Footage” (42 min.), director Taika Waititi's 2004 short film “Two Cars, One Night” (12 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a solid foreign film.] (K. Fennessy)