The Boy
The Boyis a very sluggish sunburn , one that successfully works to the narrative at hand , but is n’t particularly gratifying to view . In the summer of 1989 , 9 - class - quondam Ted Henley ( Jared Breeze ) and his begetter John ( David Morse ) start the Mt. Vista Motel . A little operation with fewer than ten room , a pocket billiards , and unused morning coffee , the once vibrant Mt. Vista Motel has ( much like the Henleys ) fall into disrepair . After Ted ’s mother runs off to Florida with one of Mt. Vista ’s Edgar Guest , abandoning her hubby and son , Ted becomes obsessed with running off to the Sunshine State - in the Hope of reuniting with his mother .
With no friends , no school , and nothing in force to do , Ted get down saving for a Greyhound bus ticket - earning twenty - five centime for every piece of roadkill he scrapes off a main road next to the hotel . However , when Ted realizes that he can make money quicker by enticing fauna into the road , position scraps of food near a unsighted turn along the main road , the 9 - yr - old ’s morbid curiosity , crippling closing off , and desperation to fly escalate - with deadly branching .
Written and directed by Craig William Macneill from a novel by frequent collaborator ( and co - screenwriter ) Clay McLeod Chapman , The Boyis an unsettling looking at at nipper development gone ill-timed . More introverted character dramatic play than indie slasher movie , Macneill has create a dusty and haunting look at adolescence in crippling closing off ( and subsequently a son ’s growing compulsion with death ) . Tothatend , Macneill and Chapman succeed .
The Boyis a up to character discipline , with subtle shifts and subtlety , chart the worrisome and believable tale of a trouble kid ; yet , not a film that casual motion-picture fan , or even most horror fans , are likely to enjoy ( orneedto see ) . Instead , The Boyis a very irksome suntan , one that successfully bring to the narration at handwriting , but is n’t particularly enjoyable to watch .
All the piece are in home for Macneill to succeed but , because of the film ’s rigid adherence to a semi - naturalistic sociopathic descent ( plot through a methodical serial of predictable escalations),The Boyisn’t particularly imaginative as a film experience - and most moviegoers will anticipate many of the flick ’s bigger plot beats far in advancement . Ted exhibits shocking behavior andThe Boyfeatures several genuinely violent moments but Ted ’s arc is a pretty dry journeying that play out through " textbook " stages of psychopathy . For viewers who are concerned inthatjourney , and the movie ’s dwell musical note , Macneill has make a convincing , cozy , and somewhat relatable parentage into madness - succeeding more inhowthe story is presented rather thanwhatactually happens .
The titularboyis portrayed by Jared Breeze ( who also appears in the coming zombi - child comedyCooties ) - and the young doer succeeds in carry a believable mix of psychopathic reddened flagstone : intelligence , charm , boredom , and hostility , among others . Though Ted is the independent character inThe Boy , Breeze is n’t need to carry the movie and is , instead , a mirror for the emotionally disengaged adults around him - reflecting how despair and selfishness in others head to Ted ’s partitioning . Still , even whereThe Boyleans heavily on supporting cast members to advance the storey , Breeze still injects Ted with a pall ( and vacant stare ) that hint toward a dormant , though sympathetic , rage wait to be stoked .
In summation to a few minor side player , Breeze is flank by Morse and Rainn Wilson ( as cryptical motel resident William Colby ) . Morse propose a layered performance as John Henley - a down - on - his - luck Church Father that , in trying to keep things together for his Word , completely fails to see that Ted is transforming into a dangerous and fluid behemoth . John ’s meek but obstinate desperation to maintain the Mt. Vista Motel is juxtaposed against Colby , a midway - of age vagrant that becomes a momentaneous father figure for Ted . The Boyaffords Wilson an opportunity to further diversify his filmography , taking a break from comedy to examine in a more serious use , and Colby is ( without question ) the most intriguing fiber in Macneill ’s film .
That all order , Colby is also the best object lesson of whereThe Boyfalls short . Macneill introduces side - stories that , by the final act , but do not yield out worthwhile dividend . Colby ’s arc , in particular , shifts away from voguish character play , with opportunity for insight into Ted , and or else becomes a sprocket inThe Boy ’s muddle ( albeit disturbing ) plot of ground . Whereas the first two - third of the movie are packed with chillingly stark cinematography , as well as uncomfortable and messy real - life moments , the climax is astonishingly clean ( and straightforward ) - played to illicit a reaction rather than bring established character kinetics full lot .
Casual moviegoer or horror buff look for a scary or spooky flick will findThe Boyto be a slow and forgettable story of budding mental illness . At meter , Macneill is contented to present Ted as little more than a soulless slasher baddie but , most of the fourth dimension , the film maker imbuesThe Boywith enough subtlety and nicety to ensure the film provides a provoking screening for the indie flick festival crowd . In that sense , Macneill mostly succeeds in give up on an esthetic vision - even if that vision will not be toothsome to most moviegoer .
Rainn Wilson as Colby Wilson in The Boy
TRAILER
The Boyruns 105 minutes and is Rated PG-13 for fierceness and terror , and for some thematic material . Now recreate in theaters and on - demand .
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Rainn Wilson as Colby Wilson in The Boy
David Morse as John Henley in The Boy
