Boy

"Welcome to my interesting world."

2010 1h 28m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 511

DramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Boy, an 11-year-old child and devout Michael Jackson fan who lives on the east coast of New Zealand in 1984, gets a chance to know his absentee criminal father, who has returned to find a bag of money he buried years ago.

“Welcome to my interesting world.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

James Rolleston
Boy
Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu
Rocky
Taika Waititi
Alamein
Moerangi Tihore
Dynasty
Cherilee Martin
Kelly
RickyLee Waipuka-Russell
Chardonnay
Haze Reweti
Dallas
Maakariini Butler
Murray

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Taika Waititi
Writers: Taika Waititi
Languages: Maori, English
Countries: New Zealand

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Maori, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Taika Waititi, shot by Adam Clark. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lukasz Pawel Buda. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Chris Plummer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

James Rolleston and Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu and Taika Waititi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Welcome to my interesting world.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Taika Waititi directs. Adam Clark behind the camera. Lukasz Pawel Buda scores. Chris Plummer cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in New Zealand. Dialogue in Maori, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 16 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Maori, English.
4Directed by Taika Waititi, shot by Adam Clark. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Lukasz Pawel Buda. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Chris Plummer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7James Rolleston and Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu and Taika Waititi carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Welcome to my interesting world.".
9IMDB entry: tt1560139 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 11 themes, including "farm", "new zealand", "maori", "goat".

The technical file

Cinematography: Adam Clark
Original score: Lukasz Pawel Buda
Editing: Chris Plummer
Production design: Shayne Radford
Costume design: Amanda Neale
Makeup / hair: Dannelle Satherley
Sound: Michael Hedges
Stunt coordinator: Augie Davis
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Status: Released
Box office: $9,116,968
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Boy (2010)

Also by

Taika Waititi

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-02-16
★ 7/10
I really enjoyed James Rolleston’s performance here as his enthusiasm just leaps off the screen at you! His character hasn’t even got a name, but he lives with his gran and the scene-stealing “Rocky” (Te Aho Eketone-Whitu) who has the most fantastic superpowers - not! He is the original Michael Jackson superfan and it’s only his dad who can hope to come close to that level of adulation. His dad “Alamein” (Taika Waititi) is off as a temporary guest of Her Majesty though, and so just imagine his excitement when gran has to head off for a week to attend a funeral just as his father and a few of his pals show up! The young lad is just too absorbed to realise that they a not playing “dig an hole in the garden” for fun, but because there’s some ill-gotten loot buried somewhere. The question isn’t really if they will find it, but who will find it and with a ravenous goat never far from shot, will it survive intact! This is an amiable character study of rural New Zealand in the mid 1980s with a small town, close-knit, community mentality that sees everyone - well the only lady in the place (Rachel House) - look after these kids including “Dallas”, “Dynasty” and there’s even a “Falcon Crest”! She and “Alamein” butt heads occasionally, especially as he becomes more and more frustrated that he can’t find his cash but it’s all amusing stuff. After a fashion, he does care for his son and as the search continues the bond develops. Not so predictably but entertainingly turbulently and with plenty of daft, earthy and witty dialogue from just about all concerned. It celebrates the beauty of their location too but it’s the charming “Rocky” whose merest finger gestures can make things fly or resurrect the dead that really made me smile most. Didn’t we all think, as weans, that we had some sort of magic power? His are illustrated by childlike animations (on graph paper, too!) and, well you can watch and see. It does run out of steam a little, and maybe the joke tires towards the end, but it’s a fun observation on disjointed family life and it’s well worth and hour and an half.

Production companies