Stories about colonization seldom humanize the colonizers, and for good reason. Focusing on the victims of abuse should always be the priority. However, there is value in examining a colonizer’s motivations. In his film The New Boy, writer and director Warwick Thornton examines some of those motivations through the lens of a Catholic nun and a nameless Aboriginal boy.
The New Boy opens in 1940s Australia with the titular new boy (Aswan Reid) strangling one man and then being captured by another. He is taken to a Catholic orphanage, run by Sister Eileen (Cate Blanchett), along with Sister Mum (Deborah Mailman), who organizes the day-to-day events, and George (Wayne Blair), who is the caretaker for the monastery.
The core adults at the monastery clearly care for the boys in their charge. We do not see any abusive behavior. The boys are fed and clothed. The boys work, but it never seems to be any kind of forced labor that is harmful to the children. There is some light teasing from the more established boys toward the new boy, but overall, it seems like a safe place for the children who are there.
But at its heart, this is a place where boys are brought after being separated from their families and are being indoctrinated with a faith that is not their own. The new boy seems to have a magical power that allows him to summon light and potentially heal others. When a large crucifix is delivered to the monastery, Sister Eileen becomes a bit obsessed with it, and she passes some of that obsession on to the new boy, who sees this suffering figure and wants to help it.
What The New Boy does exceptionally well is to explain how erasing another culture ultimately hurts you as well. Sister Eileen’s strict adherence to her faith brings her little comfort, but we do see how it begins to eat away at the spirit of the boys in her care. While these aren’t children who are beaten down or hurting, we see little excitement among them.
This is a gorgeous film to watch. In addition to his work as the writer and director, Thornton is the cinematographer for The New Boy, and while the coloring on this film is cast in sepia tones, each shot is framed beautifully. Viewers can get lost in the artistry on screen while watching this movie.
Reid gives a lovely performance in this. He portrays an ebullient energy throughout the bulk of the film, which stands in contrast to the other boys, who largely just go through the motions of existence in the monastery. What makes it work is that he never comes across as being defiant or angry. He wants to do what Sister Eileen tells him, but he wants to engage in his way, rather than in the more acceptable way that she lays out.
Likewise, Blanchett gives yet another stunning performance. She manages to create some touching moments of levity in the film, particularly as we discover that she is keeping a secret that could be a problem if it were discovered. Her devotion to her faith is never in question, which is both beautiful and, at times, heartbreaking as we see how that devotion deprives her of the joy that her faith should provide her.
Much of where The New Boy suffers is in the use of the supporting cast. Both Mailman and Blair are talented actors, and in the few scenes where they are featured, they provide a better glimpse of what is happening in the monastery. Unfortunately, they are used infrequently, and their characters are not allowed to expand the viewer’s understanding of what life is like here.
The same can be said for the other boys. None are given much individual screen time, and as a result, it makes it difficult to connect with any of them. I can’t really speak to their performances because none are offered much in the way of opportunity to shine. Sadly, this can make the story feel like it drags a bit because the scenes with Sister Mum, George, and the other boys fail to make much of an impact. They feel almost like filler scenes, which is disappointing because they could allow this film to feel richer and more fleshed out.
But despite some stumbles in the storytelling, the themes in The New Boy are shared in a manner that allows the audience to turn them over in multiple ways. Humanizing those who force assimilation is a risky proposition, but when it is done to show how that pressure applies not just to the victims, but also to those perpetrating the violence, it can help us understand how easily we can fall into that trap.
The New Boy is now playing in limited theaters.
Learn more about the film at the IMDB site for the title.
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