1.5 Boy – formal writing

Introduction –

‘Boy’ is a film written and directed by Taika Waititi. Over the course of the film, the director Taika Waititi expresses in his film the importance of a role model, and the difficulties of child neglect. The bridge scene is where Taika Waititi represents this idea to us through the main protagonist Boy having a realisation that his father isn’t a good role model as he was being neglected by him rather than cared for. He reinforces this idea during the bridge scene by using music, flashbacks, and close up camera shots to emphasis boy’s realisation.

Taika Waititi uses music during the bridge scene to reinforce the importance of a role model and the difficulties of child neglect. Just over 20 percent of kids under 17 have faced at least one account of child abuse throughout there lives. Early signs of child abuse can vary from parents ignoring or not showing care for there child, to lashing out at there kids for unexplained reasons. These symptoms of child abuse are basically defined as child neglect, thus meaning child neglect can lead to child abuse and can be directly linked to the importance of a good role model. Results of child neglect or abuse can be shown in children by random unexplained changes in attitude. From the time Boy’s father returns these signs are shown all throughout the movie. Boy’s nice innocence flips around in the first few days his dad’s arrival. Shogun also ignores Boy and poorly influences him throughout the film. Boy’s father being such a bad role model to Boy, was because instead of caring for his son, he was neglecting him by being intoxicated and ignoring Boy throughout most of the film. During the bridge scene though, Boy comes to this realisation that his father has been neglecting him and that his father was a bad role model for him to look up to. During Boy’s realisation at the bridge scene, Waititi successfully shows this during the scene using music. During the bridge scene, we hear the hymn (song used as a prayer to god) ‘Amazing Grace’ being played in the background. The lyrics during this song reinforce Boy’s realisation during the bridge scene. “That saved a wretch like me”. Here the lyrics represent Boy as the wretch, or the poor and unfortunate soul as he now realises his father had been neglecting him, rather than treating him like a son. This was upsetting to Boy as he had fantasised over for so long. “was lost but now am found”. Boy was lost in his fantasy of his father being there for him, and finally having a parent that cares for him and that he can look up-to. Now he sees however that his father was neglected Boy, and being a terrible role model. “Was blind but now I see”. This refers to Boy’s blindness with his father returning, and him not being able to see the truth that is his father isn’t a good role model. Taika Waititi has used the bridge scene to express the importance of a role model, and how this connects to child neglecting in his film Boy. I feel lucky that I have parents who care for me as I understand around a fifth of children growing up in New Zealand face the problem of being neglected or even abused by there parents. I’m grateful for having such good role models in my life and realise how important it really is for me to have them. The music during the bridge scene further reinforced this idea in my head. Taika Waititi has purposely used the bridge scene to represent the importance of a role model and the difficulties of child neglect. He then used music to help reinforce his idea.

Taika Waititi used flashbacks during his film Boy to help us understand even further the effect child neglect can have, and how it directly links to the importance of having a good role model. Since the first time Boy and Shogun meet at the start of the movie, Boy’s attitude began to change. He went from being the kind of person to feed and help his family, to ignoring them and telling them to do things themselves. This sudden change of attitude from Boy was most likely inflicted by the fact his father had returned to him for the first time since he was a toddler. At the beginning of the film we also learn Boy’s thoughts on his father, we can tell that Boy idolizes him. This explains why Boy had a massive change in appearance as he wanted to impress his father. Though throughout the movie Boy also begins changing his attitude a lot towards things he used to do like hang out with his friends, which isn’t really explained by his father coming back. These changes in attitude are likely a result of Boy feeling neglected by his father. He is trying so hard to get Shogun to think he’s cool, but Shogun just keeps ignoring him or getting mad. One of the most common signs of child neglect is unexplained changed in attitude, shown by Boy here. Leading up to the bridge scene however Boy begins to realise what has happened and how much he had changed due to the appearance of his father again. It isn’t until the bridge scene where he fully understands his father was a poor influence on Boy, as he was neglecting him making Boy do irrational things to try get his fathers attention. During this scene, flashbacks occur signifying this realisation. The first flashback shows Boy and his mother sitting happily on a pohutukawa tree. Though Boy’s father is not there even though earlier in the film, the same flashback showed except he was there. The second flashback shows Boy and his mother at a beach with the mother looking very upset cradling her unborn son within her tummy. Once again the father is not there while in the earlier flashbacks he was. The third and final flashback shows Boy peaking around a door leading into the room with his now-dead mother and nan who is holding his new brother Rocky. Again without the father there which had earlier in the film been the case. This shows that Boy is remembering now that his father had never been there for him. He realises his father was too coward to stick around and help his mother with the there new unborn child and was really a terrible role model for Boy. Taika Waititi has shown us during the bridge scene the importance of a role model, and how it ties to the impacts of child neglect, by using Boy and his father’s relationship. Shogun had neglected Boy by ignoring him, insulting him in front of Boy’s friends, and being intoxicated while being around him, while also poorly influencing him. I understand how drugs can change someone’s appearance or attitude as having witnessed the effects on people close to me. It makes me feel sad that some kids have to grow up being neglected by there parents and have no one close to look up to just because their parents have an obsession over drugs. The bridge scene signifies this for me and is reinforced by the flashbacks. There is no doubt Taika Waititi is using the bridge scene to show us the importance of having a role model, and how it links to the impacts child neglect has on children.

Taika Waititi uses close-ups during the bridge scene to help show the importance of a role model, and the emotional impact child neglect has on children. During the film, Boy’s excitement that his father was back was expressed through the way he acted. Boy was ultimately a different person around his father, doing anything his father wanted so he would want to stay and not leave again. All Boy wanted was for him and his father to have as much quality time together as they could. Shogun knew this as we see Boy’s nan tell him over the phone to spend more time with the Boy’s. However, when Shogun does decide to go spend time with his Boy’s, he proceeds to smoke marijuana beforehand. This is not only disrespectful to his Boy’s because the only way he’s spending time with him is while intoxicated by this drug to make him happier, but also he is poorly influencing them. Drugs can cause violence, and distraction due to there effects on the brain. This means while intoxicated you are more likley to neglect. Statistics say parents who tend to have drug problems are more likely to neglect their children as they are always distracted by whatever drug they are taking. It also poorly influences children who aren’t yet fully mature enough to understand the impacts of drugs. During the bridge scene, Boy comes to the realisation that his father was neglecting, and poorly influencing him. To show Boy’s realisation that his father isn’t a good role model, and neglected him, Taika Waititi uses close-ups to emphasis Boy’s emotion during the scene. The first close up shows a high angled close up of Boy’s face with him looking very tired while staring into the sky. This shows us that maturity Boy has for his age. You can see in his eyes the emotion this realisation is causing him, yet he keeps a straight face. Before Shogun arrived we know Boy was a very mature 11-year-old. He had been taking care of his sibling and doing all the housework an adult would usually do. Seeing this maturity of Boy return for the first time after his father’s arrival shows us Boy has had that realisation that his father had been treating him poorly, and had influenced him to do a lot of bad things. The second close up shows another high angled close up though this time it zoomed in on his eyes. During this close up we see Boy’s eyes looking very dazed. We can see in his eyes truly how much this realisation that his father had been neglecting him is affecting him. Though again we see this maturity from Boy as he isn’t crying. The third and final close up shows an extreme close up on Boy’s eyes. This time showing all this emotion he’d been holding in from realising his father was a bad role model and father, begin to slip out as he looks likes he about too cry, he falls off the bridge as if he just passed out from the emotion. Showing us the amount of emotion child neglect can have. Taika Waititi has used the bridge scene to show us the importance of having a good role model and how it links to the emotional impacts of child neglect. It made me realise how truly sad it is for kids who get neglected, how they don’t have their main role models on their life as their parents just don’t care. I feel really grateful that I have good parents who care for me. Knowing that just over a fifth of New Zealand children have to deal with that emotion makes me feel sad. The bridge scene has made me more aware of these things and the close-ups during the scene emphasised this. There is no doubt Taika Waititi has purposely used the bridge scene to show the viewers the importance of a role model, and how that can link to the emotional impact of child neglect throughout children in New Zealand.

The film Boy by Taika Waititi contained many meaningful messages and ideas. The main idea throughout the film however was highlighted during the bridge scene and expressed the importance of a role model, and how child neglect ties into this. Taika Waititi emphasised this idea during the bridge scene by using music, flashbacks, and close-ups.