The New Boy

The New Boy

2023 · 116 min · EN · 6.0 (32 votes)
Dir. Warwick Thornton · Starring Cate Blanchett, Deborah Mailman, Wayne Blair, Aswan Reid, Kenneth Radley, Shane Mckenzie Brady · Music Nick Cave

“A mysterious new arrival disturbs a delicately balanced world in this story of spiritual struggle and the cost of survival.”

Drama

In a remote monastery in 1940s Australia, a mission for Aboriginal children is run by a renegade nun, Sister Eileen. A new charge is delivered in the dead of night – a boy who appears to have special powers. When the monastery takes possession of a precious relic, a large carving of Christ on the cross, the new boy encounters Jesus for the first time and is transfixed. However, the boy’s Indigenous spiritual life does not gel with the mission’s Christianity and his mysterious power becomes a threat. Sister Eileen is faced with a choice between the traditions of her faith and the truth embodied in the boy, in this story of spiritual struggle and the cost of survival.

VIBE

This is a deeply atmospheric and contemplative journey into spiritual friction, set against a stark, beautiful landscape. It feels like a quiet, potent exploration of conflicting beliefs and the search for belonging, imbued with a sense of ancient mysticism and profound human struggle. A somber, yet visually rich, experience.

contemplativemysticalsomberpoignantunsettlingslow-burnatmospheric dramaspiritual realismperiod piececontemplative cinematographyspiritual conflictindigenous identitycolonialismfaith and traditionpower of belief
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