The New Boy

The New Boy (2023)

A mysterious new arrival disturbs a delicately balanced world in this story of spiritual struggle and the cost of survival.

In a remote monastery in 1940s Australia, a mission for Aboriginal children is run by a renegade nun, Sister Eileen. A new charge is delivered in the dead of night – a boy who appears to have special powers. When the monastery takes possession of a precious relic, a large carving of Christ on the cross, the new boy encounters Jesus for the first time and is transfixed. However, the boy’s Indigenous spiritual life does not gel with the mission’s Christianity and his mysterious power becomes a threat. Sister Eileen is faced with a choice between the traditions of her faith and the truth embodied in the boy, in this story of spiritual struggle and the cost of survival.

Date of release
2023-07-06
TMDB
6.0 / 10 (32)
Runtime
1h 56m
Genres
Drama
Director
Warwick Thornton

Casting

Interesting facts

The New Boy is a 2023 Australian fantasy drama film written and directed by Warwick Thornton, and starring Aswan Reid as the title character, alongside Deborah Mailman, Wayne Blair, and Cate Blanchett, who was also a producer of the film. It follows a young Aboriginal Australian orphan boy who is brought into a Christian monastery, run by a renegade nun, where he begins to question his faith and loyalty to his heritage.

Production

The original idea for the story arose in around 2005, when filmmaker Warwick Thornton wrote a script which drew on his experiences in a Benedictine monastery boarding school as a boy, developed with long-time producer Kath Shelper. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cate Blanchett suggested to Thornton that they work together on a project, through her film production company Dirty Films.

In February 2022, it was announced that Blanchett would star in the film, written and directed by Thornton. Deborah Mailman and Wayne Blair joined the cast, with Blanchett serving as a producer under her Dirty Films banner. In December 2022, Aswan Reid, Shane Brady, Tyrique Brady, Laiken Woolmington, Kailem Miller, Kyle Miller, Tyzailin Roderick, and Tyler Spencer (the boys) joined the cast.

Principal photography began in October 2022 and wrapped in December. The outdoor scenes were shot on location near Burra, South Australia.

The score was written by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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