Warwick Thornton’s ‘THE NEW BOY’ (2023) – Movie Review

Anchored by a gripping performance from Cate Blanchett, this movie proves to be an interesting, if somewhat bizarre, tale of an outsider with a bigger purpose.

The story follows a young, dark-skinned, Aboriginal, feral boy who attacks some Australian horsemen. The child is taken to a monastery for young boys led by a small group of nuns. It is later found out that the boy has some supernatural powers.

To complement the cinematography, tie look of the film is absolutely breathtaking and DP Warwick Thornton, also the writer and director, should be incredibly proud of his work behind the camera. The look of the film looks like it’s truly out of 1940s Australia. 

With respect to the performances, Cate Blanchett is certainly a powerhouse in her role as Sister Eileen. The actress does such an earnest job with the material, while creating something that is all her own. 

However, there is some bad to this film. The supernatural elements seem very contrived from other more notable projects that have already been seen. Stranger Things comes to mind when looking at the aboriginal boy master and command light to his will. It feels like it’s already been seen before.

Overall, the film has plenty of great performances even if the material is somewhat subpar to other concepts.