THE NEW BOY

SWITCH: 'THE NEW BOY' TRAILER

That connection is something that New Boy, for the most part, is able to maintain, by virtue of his supernatural abilities. These are represented, in secret late at night, by a small flickering light that emerges from the palms of his hands. This spirit is playful, comforting and deeply alive, something private and personal within the increasingly impersonal environment of the monastery. This spirit also gives New Boy other abilities that he uses to help those around him and to give him a perspective of the world others lack. It's always a dangerous thing to introduce the supernatural into a film so steeped in historical realism, but Thornton knows just how to introduce it, how to carefully maintain it and, most importantly, what its function is. Metaphorically, it speaks to the resilience of First Nations peoples in the face of oppression, invasion and decimation, a spark that connects them with where they come from and allows them to keep going. The conflict in the film, ultimately, is between this inherent spirit within New Boy and the beguiling, strange Christianity slowly weighing itself down on him. The former has no interest in the latter, but the latter simply cannot conceive of a world where the former exists.

This idea of spiritual mysticism in 'The New Boy' recalls similar choices in Baz Luhrmann's 'Australia' (2008), but that film stumbles in its handling of manifesting Aboriginal peoples' relationships with the land by rooting it in a kind of strange orientalism and by overexplaining it (again) in western terms. Thornton does not take any time to explain who New Boy is, where he has come from or why he can do what he does, and the film is infinitely better for it. To explain any of this would be to do so in those western terms, and western language does not accommodate for this kind of experience or relationship. He is exploring this spirituality on his terms and expects us (rightly so) to accept it and move with it. That spiritual connection to Country also works as a perfect counterpoint to the Christian imagery and ritual in the film. The symbol for New Boy's spirituality is a flickering ball of light, but Sister Eileen's is an imposing wooden figure of a man nailed to a cross in a state of agony. New Boy is fascinated by this man and his suffering, the contradiction and confusion of this symbol ultimately leading him into its clutches. His world is one of life and light, of the animals and plants around him that he approaches with care and understanding. Theirs is a world of cold, hard death, of lifelessness. Another tremendous subversion that Thornton weaves into the film is how closely New Boy's gifts align with those of Christ, the quiet revolt in having an Aboriginal boy embody the qualities of the traditional white symbolic figure used as an excuse for the mistreatment of his people.

This thematic richness is supported by a clear, uncluttered screenplay and an astonishing attention to visual and historical detail. The monastery, beautifully realised by production designer Amy Baker and art director Daniel Willis, floats atop a hill surrounded by fields of wheat, like a fairytale castle. It is tactile, tangible and mythical all at once, removed from the chaos and cruelty of the world beyond the horizon. The collision between religion and landscape in the film recalls the richness of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 1947 masterpiece 'Black Narcissus', especially in how Sister Eileen's faith has to contend with an environment (both the physical and that embodied in New Boy) that pushes back against her desire to shape it. Again, she does so with optimism and generosity, but it is again on her terms, and her moments of collapse, so beautifully realised by Cate Blanchett, recall similar conflicts in Deborah Kerr in 'Black Narcissus'. The performances are Thornton's most subdued triumph in the film, but a triumph nonetheless. A performance as detailed and fascinating as Blanchett's, or as devastating as Mailman's and as unsettled as Blair's, do not come without the close working relationship between actor and director. Even the stranger aspects of Blanchett's performance are carefully calibrated to work within the film Thornton is constructing, adding to the sense of 'The New Boy' as a fable on the subtle insidiousness of colonialism. Great direction is not just about knowing what to say at the right time but also knowing when to give space for magic to happen, and this is Thornton's great gift when working with actors. This is most apparent in the luminous performance by Aswan Reid, whose quiet intensity and insatiable curiosity hold you enraptured in every frame he appears, and ultimately leads to the careful, crushing final scenes.

It would be remiss not to comment on Thornton's cinematography in 'The New Boy', an example of a director/cinematographer achievement not that far from Alfonso Cuaron's 'Roma' (2018). Thornton's understanding of his material allows him to capture the world of the monastery in such a way that every shot is in service to his thesis, the beauty and conflict of this incongruous setting against this magnificent landscape. While the spaces of the monastery are controlled and simple, unadorned and functional, the sky beyond is the cathedral, a staggering canvas of colour and space. Cinematography is the art of painting with light, and Thornton's understanding of the relationship between light and lens is displayed in full force in this film. There were countless images that took my breath away, not just for their aesthetic beauty but for how perfectly they expressed the thematic and emotional heart of the film and its titular character. Not only is Thornton one of our finest directors, he is also one of our finest cinematographers.

'The New Boy' is an incandescent, beguiling and quietly devastating fable on the most incidental ways the continued crimes of colonisation in this country have devastated our Indigenous peoples, using "well-meaning" tools of religion to strip culture of its autonomy and its right to exist. Those tools may be wielded with "love", but we are still complicit in a smothering force that leaves no room for any other form of spirituality or cultural identity. And yet, despite the gentle tragedy delivered at the end of the film and despite the unstoppable march of colonialism, the will to survive still exists, fierce and bright and persistent. I can sit there as a well-meaning white Australian, completely in support of the rights of our First Nations communities, and be deeply moved by the power of this film, but that little spark in New Boy's hands will never mean as much to me as for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait audience member. Hidden within the sadness of 'The New Boy' is a river of hope, a hope that those well- meaning figures like Sister Eileen may one day learn to listen, to fully listen, to those they claim to speak for, and for that persistent, powerful spark will survive through adversity. Considering the crossroads we Australians are approaching, with the upcoming referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, Warwick Thornton's quietly magnificent film could not have come at a better time.

Click here to read our 4.5-star review of 'The New Boy'.

To celebrate the release of 'The New Boy' in cinemas, we're giving you the chance to win a double pass.

To win one of five double passes thanks to Roadshow, just make sure you follow both steps:

Competition opens at 5:00pm AEST on Sunday 25th June 2023 and closes at 11:59 pm AEST on Sunday 2nd July 2023. Five winners will be chosen at random on Monday 3rd July 2023. To successfully win, entrants must fulfil the above entry conditions before the time the competition closes. Current members/followers are eligible to enter the competition. Only one entry per person. Only one winner per household. To be a valid winner, the entrant must not have won a prize from SWITCH within the last 28 days. Each winner will receive one double pass to 'The New Boy'. By entering, you agree to receive occasional emails from SWITCH in the future. If you decide to unsubscribe from these updates, any further entries will not be applicable. Only Australian residents are eligible to enter.