Boy

Set in 1984 in the small New Zealand coastal settlement of Waihau Bay, the film follows an eleven-year-old nicknamed Boy, a devoted Michael Jackson fan who lives on a farm with his grandmother, a goat and his younger brother Rocky, who believes he has special powers. Boy has grown up on stories he tells about his absent father, Alamein, painting him as a hero. When Alamein suddenly reappears after years away, Boy has to square those stories with the man in front of him: a small-time crook who has come back looking for a stash of money he buried before he went away. The arrival upends the household and forces Boy to see his father clearly.

Taika Waititi wrote and directed the film and also plays Alamein, with James Rolleston as Boy and Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu as Rocky. It was Waititi's first solo feature as director, preceding What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jojo Rabbit and Thor: Ragnarok in his filmography. Cliff Curtis, Emanuel Michael and Ainsley Gardiner produced.

Released in 2010, the film runs 88 minutes and blends comedy with drama. It took about 9 million dollars worldwide, a strong result for a New Zealand production of its scale. On IMDb it holds 7.5 from roughly 31,000 votes; on TMDB it sits at 7.3 from just over 500 votes. A critics' rating of 7.3 from 74 reviews places it close to the audience scores.