The New Boy (2023) User Reviews

Ambitious but a bit weak

[chenp-54708 · 6/10 · 12 September 2023]

Australian director Warwick Thornton is known for his works on Sweet Country and Samson and Delilah as Thornton has proven himself on being a good filmmaker on Australian cinema. I'm going to be honest, I really love the first hour of this movie but unfortunately, despite good intentions and gorgeous camerawork, the film weakens with it's convoluted themes and weak narrative.

Throughout, the camerawork is absolutely gorgeous alongside with the soundtrack from Nick Cave and Warren Ellis which provided a good atmosphere of the Australian landscapes. Every single shot and sound design felt real and added a great atmopshere for the movies tone and setting. The performances from the cast members are pretty good especially Aswan Reid as his performance was strong and held up throughout the film.

Narrative wise, the narrative explores interesting themes and concepts and while it's clear what intentions the narrative is going for, it unfortunately does hold strong. Mainly because the narrative explores themes that don't feel fully developed and it felt the concepts were sometimes going all over the place. The dialogue from the characters were okay and the characters, while offer some interesting aspects about them, they weren't able to feel fully connectable. I understand what the characters intentions and what Thornton is trying to explore but the issue is that it feels undeveloped. The production designs is beautiful. The pacing could use some improvements.

As mentioned, the first hour was really strong with some interesting themes and ideas explored within the character and setting. But the rest half begins to feel lost and at times tedious with it's uneven pacing and style. Overall, despite these flaws, I still found the film to be ambitious for the most part. Good intentions that just needs some more work.

try it

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 27 September 2023]

It's 1940's in the Australian outback. An Aboriginal boy is captured by the police and sent to an orphanage run by Sister Eileen (Cate Blanchett). Everybody is hiding the fact that the priest who is supposed to be running the place, is in fact dead.

The movie is definitely trying to do something interesting. I applaud the attempt. I don't know if it's actually a good movie. It starts with a bang and then it becomes a murky flight of spirituality and identity. I like the kid and one can't do much better than Cate Blanchett. It's worth a try to see this once if you can stay with it all the way to the end. I won't be seeing it again.

Caught between two spiritual worlds

[glenaobrien · 7/10 · 21 January 2024]

Warwick Thornton's new film is a moving meditation on what it means to be caught between two cultures and the challenges of trying to bridge incommensurable spiritualities. Aswan Reid is the unnamed 'new boy' a nine-year old new arrival at a remote mission in 1940s South Australia, led by Sister Eileen (Cate Blanchett).

The new boy is a 'clever man' with the spiritual powers of his own Indigenous culture and a fascination for the Catholic spirituality he encounters at the Mission. This interest is interpreted by Sister Eileen as a conversion (with the miraculous overtones of bearing the stigmata) but the new boy's baptism leads to a disruption in the emerging 'two-ways' connections between Indigenous and Catholic spirituality.

The film is shot beautifully by Thornton who also writes and directs this semi-autobiographical film (though relocated to an earlier time period than his own). There is a scene where the new boy is running a foot race, goes beyond the finish line, and just keeps running. Sister Eileen calls out 'Come back!' while Aboriginal work-hand George (Wayne Blair) calls 'Keep going!' This litany continues for some time and serves as an interesting metaphor for the situation of so many caught between Blackfella and Whitefella worlds.

Deborah Mailman offers good support as 'Sister Mum' and all the boys offer good naturalistic performances. It's refreshing to see a film about dispossession and colonisation where genuine kindness and compassion is on display rather than straightforward cruelty and abuse. While it doesn't quite have the power of Thornton's other films, such as Samson and Delilah (2009) or Sweet Country (2017) it confirms his reputation as one of Australia's best film makers.

The New Boy

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 27 March 2024]

Set against a backdrop of a strongly colonial and white Australia, we are rather violently introduced to a young, blonde, Aboriginal lad (Aswan Reid) who is conked out by a boomerang and awakens to find himself in the care of "Sister Eileen" (Cate Blanchett) and "Sister Mum" (Deborah Mailman) at a remote orphanage. She is pretty devout and he is very much in tune with nature - both people of faith, but not the same kind. The arrival of a large wooden crucifix to top their altar seems to focus both of them on what now becomes a rather dry and simplistic tale of spirituality. Reid does come across well. There is a spontaneity and naturalness to his performance, but Blanchett over-eggs just about all of the rest of it. She does this type of role well - shorn hair, manic eyes, slightly eccentric characterisation - but here there's just not enough story for her (or us) to get the teeth into. I got the sense that there was something almost "Oliver Twist" about the lad. Blonde? Sent away? Did he have a secret identity? That's not the story, though - and when he suffers his own rather personal misfortune at the end, I felt a rather overwhelming dislike of "Eileen" and her superstition-ridden church. Too be fair, this isn't a film that doesn't provoke a response - but with sparse dialogue and little character development, it's not really much more than a beautifully photographed vehicle for Blanchett to indulge herself and for Reid to be a boy facing a confusing future.

A NEW BOY NEEDS SAVING!!!

[movieguy3000 · 3/10 · 27 December 2023]

Overall, a beautifully photographed film amongst the beautiful landscapes and county of Australia. OK acting by the main cast and a beautiful soundtrack to accompany it. The sound design is terrific as well as the production and costume design and that's where the beauty stops. The films narrative is convoluted and not clear and is left to major interpretation which in storytelling means it's a weak premise with no real strong intention. It dances around the ideas of faith and indigenous culture, but it's never fully fleshed out, disappointed coming from a first nations director. There was definitely potential there in a conceived spiritual essence of an idea which was left underdeveloped and a missed opportunity to mix faith and spirituality. The imdb synopsis stated that it's about a renegade nun (Cate Blanchette) but that doesn't really describe the character. The film is easy to watch, pacing is better than most Aussie films, but it just needed so much more, Aussie films have this real problem in being able to do the simplest of things - Tell a good yarn on screen. Why is that? We get this idea that we must continue to tell first nation stories BUT we cannot find a new angle or a GREAT story to tell, this story is mediocre at best and Cate Blanchette can't save this. Doesn't matter how many AACTA or award nominations this film gets - your larger GENERAL audience can see through the pretentious arty-fartyness of underdeveloped narrative storytelling and by attaching known actors - it tries to sell you that this a film worthy of accolades. Films are political now, not made or judged by their merit but by the politics of the government agencies and the people who have power to get them made.

The film s well-made and it shows from the decent budget it was made with - but that deserves no accolade - tell a story and move me, make me feel emotion - I felt nothing watching this - disappointing because the hype didn't watch the viewing experience.

!GARBAGE!

[nikos_belitsis · 1/10 · 22 September 2023]

I declare misled. I saw the trailer, I learned that Blanchett is playing in the lead-role (although lately I have been disappointed by her choices...) and finally I read the reviews of some ''objective'' imdb - critics of the film. And they tricked me. Reviews deify an idiocy that lasts almost two hours. They are singing the praises of a sleazeball shot in the desert, with a dark-haired kid with odd-colored hair playing the beastly guy from the Green Mile.... Blanchett is a nun who cannot digest that the strange little boy works miracles. The curious little guy also does incomprehensible nonsense, though. And time goes by, and nothing happens. But the reviews are exciting because...who knows? Boredom! Be objective, guys! The scores of 10/10 for this &''film'' is madness.

ridiculous

[curtispeace · 2/10 · 15 September 2023]

So many oh so many movies today start out so poorly that it leaves you with no option but to just give up on the movie the little boy so unrealistically takes to Cate Blanchett for no reason really it doesn't make sense why and for crying out loud there is no Aboriginal Australian kid with blonde hair and super dark skin but more than that the hair is some kind of new age dye job that is so unbelievable from the very beginning the movie is not in the right frame so to speak and within a few minutes it's just goofy none of the other boys say haha he has yellow hair which is dang near impossible I tell you honest to goodness there's no way I could give it more than a few minutes of my time life is too short to watch such rubbish I guess Cate Blanchett is on a roll huh.

Superb portrait of the Clash of Faith and Culture

[tm-sheehan · 9/10 · 27 July 2023]

My Review- The New Boy My rating 9/10

This film reminds me so much of the 1947 classic movie Black Narcissus which is also about an isolated community of nuns written and directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

The New Boy is a totally different story written by Warwick Thornton set in a totally different location but in my opinion there are some striking similarities.

Black Narcissus like The New Boy also deals with conflicts of faith and extreme culture clashes .

The New Boy produced by Cate Blanchett's production company Dirty Films also like Black Narcissus has an ethereal quality some sets almost look artificial but this adds to the drama.

I also noticed in one pivotal scene the label of a bottle of wine reads Blue Narcissus.

What's The New Boy about ?

This is open to interpretation all I'll say is it's a movie you have to think about .

My interpretation of this fine film is that it's about clash of cultures and a crisis of faith when two spiritual beliefs one Christian and the other indigenous First Nation spirituality collide by an accident of fate.

Mixing realism with the magical aspects of a fable, The New Boy is set in 1940s Australia and centres around an Aboriginal child (played by 11-year-old newcomer Aswan Reid) with mysterious 'powers'.

Eleven year old Aswan Reid gives the finest debut performance of an indigenous boy since David Gulpilil in the original Storm Boy he only has two words of dialogue in the movie but his emotive and spiritual performance doesn't need dialogue.

Cate Blanchett is brilliant as a kind but troubled Head nun Sister Eileen who runs a school for boys that have no mothers themselves - even though we know this to be a lie, as they have been taken from their families and their fate is governed by the Protector of Aborigines.

The New Boy is brought to the monastery after being captured by a Native Policeman.

Sister Eileen who welcomes the new boy as she farewells an older aboriginal boy is desperately trying to maintain her outback community after the priest in charge died she seeks guidance praying to his spirit .

She is fiery and often unconventional but kind as she prays and try's to hide the fact that there is no longer a man in charge from authorities who wouldn't allow a woman in charge of the monastery.

The other nun is Sister Mum so beautifully and sensitively played by Deborah Mailman who assists in the property's farm running while also cooking and caring for the small group of "orphaned boys." Sister Mum's story would make a fine film on its own as we see her tearfully look at a photo of her own children we wonder how she became a nun and can only guess what happened to her two children?

Wayne Blair is also impressive as the Aboriginal overseer who supervises the boys farm work . He becomes suspicious and fearful of the spiritual power of the new boy.

Cate Blanchett helped to develop the story with Warwick Thornton and both decided to make the character a nun instead of a monk who was the original character.

Thornton had originally imagined a priest running the monastery and had given his film the working title Father and the Son but both thought this could add a dark connotation to the story.

Production of The New Boy began in October 2022 and wrapped in December that year. The outdoor scenes were shot on location near Burra in South Australia The wonderful music score of The New Boy was written by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis .

Warwick Thornton the writer of The New Boy is also director and cinematographer and I think this movie is as impressive as his 2009 movie Samson and Delilah.

Positive and uplifting

[Blue-Grotto · 4/10 · 17 October 2023]

An aboriginal boy is taken from his home and dumped at a remote church school in 1940s Australia. The new boy impresses his classmates and instructors by taking the adversity in stride, showing empathy, sharing instead of taking, and working some magic in order to heal others from their wounds.

I loved Warwick Thornton's previous film Sweet Country, and enjoyed the gorgeous images here of the wheat fields in the twilight, but even Cate Blanchett the nun can't resurrect such a weak script and thin plot line. The entire film should be compacted into five minutes and audiences will be thankful for it. I sympathize with the film's anticolonial theme and appreciate that it is generally uplifting and positive, but c'mon, let's have an interesting conversation somewhere along the line! North American premiere seen at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Beautiful cinematography plus John Coffey woo does not a great movie make.

[debig-03023 · 3/10 · 5 April 2024]

I watched this only because Aswan Reid won the AACTA and because Cate Blanchett was in it. I like Deborah Mailman but she seems to be the indigenous woman of choice in 90% of roles lately. Surely there are other women available for this type of role.

I love cinematic movies and this was no disappointment in that area of production. I also don't mind ploughing through slow movies providing there is some payoff in the long run.

Kept waiting for something to happen plot wise and it just didn't. Just endless beautiful cinematography, scene after disjointed scene.

In the end I viewed this as part religious mumbo jumbo vs Dreamtime with a dose of John Coffey thrown in and a waste of two hours. Very disappointing.

A beautiful piece of cinema

[davobradley · 9/10 · 30 July 2023]

Full of wonder and careful consideration. Gently handled with lots of space. Nothing gets rammed home here. Warwick is one of Australia's clearest cinematic voices today, and his love for story and the craft shows in every single frame. The composition is always interesting, and the light beautifully natural. South Australia puts it's outback colours on full display. In one tiny location, the world feels vast and magical. The cast performances are all superb. Warwick is definitely of the school "show, don't tell" of which he is quickly becoming a master. One day I would love to be crew on one of his productions, and watch the man at work.

A mesmeric and moving tale of survival and spirit

[steveinadelaide · 8/10 · 8 July 2023]

If you're looking for a film that will transport you to a different time and place, challenge your assumptions, and touch your emotions, look no further than "The New Boy". This Australian drama, written and directed by Warwick Thornton, is a stunning cinematic achievement exploring colonialism, religion, identity, and resilience.

The film is set in 1940s Australia, where a nine-year-old Aboriginal orphan boy (Aswan Reid) is taken in at a remote monastery run by a renegade nun (Cate Blanchett). His arrival disturbs the delicate balance of the place, where other Aboriginal children are taught to assimilate into the white culture and forget their roots. The boy, who has no name, is mute and mysterious and seems to have supernatural abilities that attract curiosity and fear. He forms a bond with Sister Eileen, who sees something special in him and tries to protect him from the world's harsh realities.

The cinematography by Thornton is breathtaking, capturing the beauty and harshness of the Australian landscape. The film uses natural light and minimal dialogue to create a realistic and immersive atmosphere. The score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is haunting and evocative, enhancing the mood and tension.

The performances are also outstanding, especially by the young Aswan Reid, who conveys so much emotion and depth with his eyes and gestures. He is a revelation, and his chemistry with Cate Blanchett is palpable. Blanchett delivers another masterful performance as Sister Eileen, a complex and conflicted character struggling with her faith, duty, and compassion. Deborah Mailman and Wayne Blair are also excellent as the other nuns with different views on dealing with the boy.

The New Boy is not a conventional or easy film to watch. It's slow-paced, subtle, and ambiguous. It doesn't shy away from the brutality and injustice of the colonial system, nor does it offer easy answers or resolutions. It challenged me to think and feel, to question and empathise.

"The New Boy" is a powerful and poetic film. It has stayed with me since seeing it. Check it out if you want to see something different, profound, and thought-provoking.

A breathing experience

[steven-myrteza · 9/10 · 9 July 2023]

There is a lot to love about this move. The scenery is incredible and the performances were very strong. The telling is very gentle and avoided the violent scenes I was dreading not because there was no violence in that time but because the two central characters were coming from different places. The film is very understated in a way that doesn't try to tidy up all of the loose ends or bang you over the head with explanations of what you should be thinking or feeling. It's what's not said that make it so powerful. The new boy leaves you appreciating that the story avoided all of the obvious story choices.

Puts Aussie cinema back on track

[andrewpetrouap · 10/10 · 8 July 2023]

Cate Blanchet creates a brilliant portrayal of an altruistic nun who runs an outback orphanage. She appears without any make-up which gives great authenticity to her idiosyncratic and often humorous nun character. Her spirituality is contrasted with the preternatural spirituality of a very young indigenous boy. This creates a fascinating theme about the philosophy of spirituality. It also puts Aussie cinema back on track and away from the recent interminable very poor "Aussie horror" which has destroyed all international respect for Australian films.

The New Boy is actually about an important and highly captivating theme. It also allows us to view recent history through a new lens by touching upon many associated themes.

I will never forget the poignant theme of a young boy leaving the orphanage.

Old tale, new telling

[Phil_M_A_Kerr · 9/10 · 6 August 2023]

These personal films that directors get to make are both a struggle (to watch) and epiphanous (in the modern, non-religious sense) in the payoff.

The thing looked marvellous for the "magic hour" lensing of outback Australia. Sets, costumes, props were all legit for the era (mid-20th Century).

All the cast were top notch but one can't avoid the fact that almost everyone looked healthier than you suspect people actually did in the time and place of the film's setting. What can you do - starve the cast for months before the film's shoot? I suspect Christian Bale had the resources to get gaunt for The Machinist that were not available here. I digress.

The real magic happens when things get cray cray crazy on screen. Actually, these moments depict humans at their most vulnerable and strange. Our weird faith systems - Christian & Aboriginal (see Nolan's gargantuan Oppenheimer for faith in science) clash with serious, comical, frightening, & heartwarming results.

I'd like to watch it again, some day.

A haunting and beautiful film about faith and identity

[ergo-58534 · 10/10 · 13 July 2023]

The New Boy is a film that transports the viewer to a different time and place, where the clash of cultures, religions and histories creates a powerful and poignant drama. The film follows the journey of the New Boy (Aswan Reid), a young Aboriginal boy who is orphaned after his parents are killed by white settlers. He is captured by a bounty hunter and delivered to a monastery in the Australian outback, where he meets Sister Eileen (Cate Blanchett), a rebellious nun who runs the place with an iron fist. She takes him under her wing, hoping to save his soul and teach him the ways of Christianity. However, the New Boy soon finds himself torn between his ancestral roots and his new faith, as well as between the kindness of Sister Eileen and the cruelty of some of the other nuns and children.

The film is a stunning achievement by writer-director Warwick Thornton, who also serves as the cinematographer and composer. He creates a vivid and immersive world, where the harshness of the landscape contrasts with the beauty of the natural elements. He also uses symbolism and imagery to convey the themes of the film, such as the dry grasses that represent the fragility of life, or the fire that symbolizes both destruction and purification. The film is also enriched by the music of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, who provide a haunting and atmospheric score that enhances the mood and emotion of the film.

The film is also driven by the remarkable performances of its cast, especially Reid and Blanchett, who form an unlikely but touching bond. Reid is a revelation as the New Boy, a boy who is curious, resilient and brave, but also confused, lonely and scared. He conveys his character's inner turmoil with subtle expressions and gestures, as well as with his native language. Blanchett is equally impressive as Sister Eileen, a woman who is passionate, compassionate and fierce, but also flawed, conflicted and lonely. She shows her character's complexity and humanity with grace and conviction. The supporting cast is also excellent, especially Mailman as Sister Mum, a kind-hearted nun who cares for the children; Blair as George, a friendly Aboriginal man who works at the monastery; and Convery as Ezra, a sickly boy who befriends the New Boy.

The New Boy is a film that will stay with you long after it ends. It is a film that explores the issues of faith, identity, colonialism and racism with sensitivity and intelligence. It is a film that celebrates the resilience and dignity of the Aboriginal people and their culture. It is a film that challenges and inspires the viewer with its depth and its beauty. It is one of Thornton's best films, and one of the best films of the year.

Moving and mysterious

[robertnixon-46014 · 10/10 · 19 October 2023]

I recently enjoyed this film at the Almeria Western Film Festival. It's beautifully filmed with mysterious layers within the story which makes you draw your own conclusions. For example, my wife and I were at total opposite ends of the spectrum when discussing afterwards. I left the cinema moved with tears covered by sunglasses 😎. Was it the story, cinematography, the score (which is wonderful) or all. I'm not normally an emotional guy when it comes to films but for some reason this one got me. Aside, all the actors are are fantastic. The little boy who plays the 'new boy' I learnt was his first ever acting role. He was amazing. Enjoy. I did🤠

Unique, spiritual and poignant

[martinpersson97 · 10/10 · 12 April 2024]

This incredible Australian art house drama, by a great director, is definitely one of the more unique and poignant masterpieces of the year.

The actors all do an incredible job, conveying high drama through subtle facial and visual acting gracefully, all of this accompined by a stellar script for the ages, showcasing some important historical and ever relevant issues. Very nicely, artistically and poignantlly written, indeed.

The cinematography, cutting and editing is incredible, very unique and showcasing some stellar imagery. Very beautifully put together.

Overall, definitely a masterful achievement, and one that is very much recommended for any lover of film!