Film Review 2

 Film Review 2 

'New Boy' 

Written and directed by: Steph Green, Original Story by: Roddy Doyle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdeioVndUhs&t=43s 

‘New Boy’ explores challenging ideas of racism, prejudice, bullying and migration. The protagonist, Joseph, is an African refugee who has fled a dangerous country and found himself within an Irish school. We watch him overcome the struggle of being an outsider through this fish-out-of-water narrative, removed from his normal day-to-day life he is forced to develop a new outlook on this new world. He is tormented by antagonists, Christian Kelley and Seth Quinn creating a journey of belonging and friendship with hard-hitting moments. The audience watch the narrative play out in front of them, also feeling like an outsider and resonate with Joseph.

Act 1 begins with Joseph starting his new school, it’s clear he is one of two black children in the class when another pupil suggests he sits beside Pamela (the only other black character). This is reflective of stereotypical Irish culture, suggesting Irish people hold hostile attitudes towards people from the BAME community. But also references how children acknowledge differences and have prejudices towards the ‘other’.  A Euro Barometer study from 2000 found that 13% of the Irish sample held hostile views to those from the BAME community (O’Connor (s.d))

Its arguable Joseph has been othered within ‘New Boy’, the term ‘other’ states that groups who are excluded from social power or mainstream culture are ‘other’ (Powell and Menendian (s.d)). Joseph is the only character within the film who is not from Irish descent, he is also the only child who does not talk (until the end) and is treated differently by the teacher. Presenting him in a different way to the other students makes him appear more of an outsider. I like how Joseph has been represented, as this strengthens the contrast within the film and hones into the idea that he lacks a sense of belonging, there would be less of an emotional drive if Joseph were presented like the other children.

It’s uncertain whether the inciting incident is Joseph starting the new school or the beginning of his bullying. However, both prove to be an obstacle preventing him from achieving his narrative goal. Joseph needs to discover himself within a new social structure while also developing a sense of belonging. His biggest change is a change of lifestyle which his bullies make it hard to adapt to. Kelley torments Joseph calling him ‘live-aid’ and asking, ‘do they know it’s Christmas?’ both reference the money raised for the Ethiopian famine using music. Subtext is used here to suggest the underlying racism within Ireland and how is has been picked up by future generations.

The threat of ‘you’re dead’ causes him to remember his father’s murder. Which show the harsh times he’s faced. The flashbacks show a contrast between his old and new life. There is always a warmth when we flash back to Africa making it feel joyous and exotic this contrasts the coldness of Ireland through darker colour tones, which symbolises how he glorifies his past compared to his present.

The midpoint sees Joseph acting aggressively to Kelley, which is unexpected behaviour. This is followed by another act of aggression later after being pushed by Kelley. The two boys exchange eye contact which creates a connection between the two. Joseph’s choice not to fight shows his maturity, having experienced ‘the worst’ in the past he handles things more peacefully. I thought this was interesting as Kelley learns of Josephs mental strength through the eye contact where he realises his bulling hasn’t affected Joseph. He realises his lack of strength and power as he can only exert it physically, compared to Joseph’s mental strength.

The plot twist sets up the resolution, Joseph and the bullies realise they can build a friendship between them despite their initial prejudice. They begin mocking the teacher which acts as a bonding experience. The audience see they are starting to become friends, but it’s not until Joseph joins in with ‘now’ (his only word in present) and the other boys laugh that they notice this friendship for themselves. The subtext here is a sense of belonging and friendship. It was a powerful choice to withhold Joseph’s only line of dialogue till the end; it symbolises him beginning to feel comfortable in his new surroundings. The joy he feels in this moment reminds him of the times he had with his father. For the first time he flashes back to a memory where they are both happy. The resolution sees Joseph discovering his identity while also learning to reminisce the more joyful moments with his father instead of his death.

However, despite the film being successful in covering the bullying/racism faced by people of the BAME community it would have been a more satisfying to see the bullies punished for their behaviour instead of it being brushed under the carpet. Although, it’s worth considering this resolution is reflective of how children deal with conflict, easily forgiving those who have done them wrong.

 

Reference List

 

Fiona O’Connor. (s.d). Institutional Racism in Irish Adult Education: Fact or Fiction?. Available: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ907231.pdf.  Last accessed 19th October 2021.

John a. Powell and Stephen Menendian. (s.d). The Problem of Othering: Towards Inclusiveness and Belonging. Available: https://otheringandbelonging.org/the-problem-of-othering/. Last accessed 19th October 2021.