Important Characters in ‘Boy’ (2010) – Part One
Boy (Alamein Jr –though he is never spoken to by his proper name):
Boy is the eleven year old title _____________ and protagonist (and the narrator at the
beginning of the film).
He lives with his younger brother Rocky, who is six, their Nan (grandmother) and four
___________ (Kelly and three infants) in Raukokore (where the film’s director Taika
Waititi also grew up).
Directly following the establishing shots of the film we see the exposition in which Boy
_________ us to “his interesting world” in a _________ for school, entitled “Who am I?”
First and foremost is Boy’s evident hero-worship of his ________ father, Alamein. In
Boy’s eyes Alamein is a “master carver, a deep sea diver, captain of the rugby team and
has the record for punching out the most people with one hand.” Other _______ about
him being a war hero, his green beret, scaring off the “Commies” with a haka, and his
ability to _________ “as good as Michael Jackson” are all fantasies that Boy has
________ up.
speech
dance
introduces
cousins
absent
made
character
stories
The other hero in Boy’s life is Michael Jackson. In a number of dream-like sequences
Boy perceives his father in the role of Michael Jackson. For Boy, the line between the two
has___________. Michael Jackson, ‘the king of pop’ is the essence of style and image.
Boy must face the fact that his father is not worth hero-worship and __________ and
learn that, before his father’s __________ into his life, Boy was a better ‘father’ and ‘man’
than his dad ever was.
Through Boy’s painful dealings with his __________ father the film deals with themes
such as coming of age and letting go of childhood fantasies. The film is also summed up
by the ________ on the blackboard of Boy’s speech to his class: ‘Who am I?’: Boy must
find out who he is –and what he could become- __________ the film
The story is a type of Bildungsroman, where Boy must come of age (even though he is
only__________ ) and see the world as it _______ is. As he does so Boy goes from
being a _____________ “good boy” to someone who is irresponsible and ________ (e.g.
not feeding the “bloody kids”) –and then back to being a better and wiser young person.
during eleven selfish truly words useless return blurred responsible respect
Alamein/ Dad/ Shogun:
The father of Boy and Rocky. At the start of the narrative Alamein is introduced as a “busy
man”, having left Waihau Bay for a life of adventure, and other important things. When he
arrives home Boy is ________________, thinking his father has come back to be back in
the boys’ life and to take them _________ with him.
Alamein is an interesting character: he is both a useless ‘loser’ and a charming ‘user’ that
helps us understand why he might have an effect on people he comes in contact with.
Alamein had brought his “gang” of Crazy Horses with him: two __________ he has picked
up on his travels. He and his gang have actually only come home to dig up Alamein’s
buried “treasure” (a bag of stolen ________ that he has forgotten where he has hidden):
they then plan to take off again.
An _____________ idea linked to Alamein’s character is what it means to be a father and
a man. Alamein is actually just a man-child, an old ‘boy’, who has not __________ up.
We see this when he attacks Kingi’s elder brother, in retaliation for threatening Boy. He
assumes the role of big ___________ , but has nothing to contribute as a father figure.
Boy’s attempts to ________ his Dad and is more successful than we want him to be: for a
large part of the film he goes bad as a person. He also shares his father’s self-delusion:
Boy’s ‘mating dance’ for _____________ (his display of “some Michael Jackson dance
moves”), although tragic to us, looks amazing in his own mind. Self-delusion affects all
three of the Ranginui males. Interestingly, it is Rocky first, then Boy, and finally Alamein
who learn to accept themselves and their situation for what _________ is.
truly
imitate delighted brother important grown losers cash away Chardonnay
Rocky:
Boy’s six year old brother. The boys’ mum, Joanni Ranginui, died giving birth to Rocky.
Rocky believes he has super powers, but “he doesn’t.” Rocky, with the animations that
represent his _______________, is an excellent example of how ______________
explain their __________ through fantasy.
Rocky carries a lot of _________ because he believes mum died “because [his] powers
were too strong.” This detail is conveyed to the viewer through Rocky’s dialogue. It is
stated matter-of-factly and it is possible that Boy has told his brother this to help him cope
with his grief and make Rocky feel better about himself.
Rocky has associated powers with ___________ harm (the school bus animation, making
the “weirdo” fall down, and shooting Dad) until the “weirdo” tells him he can use “powers
to do good”. Alamein’s story about E.T. fascinates Rocky. E.T. has _________ too,
according to Alamein, that can heal anything: “a cut or a gash, a wound to the neck, or a
broken ____________.” At the film’s ___________ Rocky attempts to heal his father’s
broken psyche by touching him on the forehead while holding a glowing sparkler
(indicative of E.T.’s glowing finger) and apologising to his father for “killing Mum”.
Rocky is Boy’s link to his Mum. Without Rocky’s trips to the __________ or the memories
that Rocky makes him recall, Boy would have a much harder time dealing with his _____.
heart
causing
graveyard
world
imagination
climax
children
guilt
loss
powers