Boys in the Trees

There aren't many films from Australia I haven't liked and this is definitely one of them.

Superb acting from virtually all the cast and well filmed, so well filmed I would never have guessed it was Australia.

I figured out what it was all about quite early on but the story was still fascinatingly surreal and drew you into its mystery and the characters themselves; the angst of youth and the tribulations we all had to go through when we were young and in that way it will probably appeal more to older folks,.

Its not for everyone but if you are looking for horror or lots of action and cgi then its not for you - if you want to have your brain tweaked and your senses stretched then its one for you.

A random pick and a mix movie I had no knowledge of the film going in I happily went in with no expectations and walked away remarkably pleased.

Boys in the Trees is an Australian feature movie that is quite frankly genre breaking. Horror? Drama? Thriller? It's so hard to pin it down to one, though I will say the cover art will have you making incorrect assumptions.

It's a coming of age movie about a young man who is part of the "Cool kids". One day on the skate park he witnesses his best friend bullying another boy not knowing that single event would change everything.

For a fair chunk of the movie I'll be honest I thought I wasn't going to like it. I didn't like many of the characters, I couldn't get behind the protagonist and deemed the plot a bit of a jumbled mess.

Now by the end they'd turned much of that around, though the plot is still very jumbled. Thankfully it does make up for that for the most part and when the credits rolled I was hit with a wave of emotions and very thankful that I had come across this film.

It only ended moments ago but I'm left feeling it's going to stay with me for a while. It's thought provoking, powerful and not even remotely shallow alike most films these days.

With an awesome soundtrack, competent performances and some great writing I can confidently recommend Boys in the Trees to anyone seeking something that little bit different.

The Good:

Awesome soundtrack

Very good visuals

Some great writing

Powerful stuff

The Bad:

Some character flaws

Certainly won't appeal to everyone

It's a rare movie that makes you feel as though it was created just for you - but Boys In The trees hits the mark so perfectly on what it was like to be a teen in the Australian 90s that my level of empathy for the characters was off the charts.

The soundtrack is incredible, the cinematography is pure and the young Aussie leads have taken hold of the ambitious script with both hands and delivered performances that are nothing short of star-making. Toby Wallace as Corey and Mitzi Ruhlmann as Romany are particularly strong. Justin Holborow as the bully Jango also plays his part with true grit.

This is the evolution of the traditional coming of age tale, with the Writer/Director Nicholas Verso creating such an ethereal landscape you feel moments of 'What Dreams May Come' style fantasy seamlessly anchored by the exquisitely curated 90s Adelaide suburbia.

I absolutely adored this movie. Anyone who loves fantasy will adore it. It's a must-see for everyone who loves movies that straddle the line between fantasy and reality.

Like some have written before me, I was ready for something in the vein of Lost Boys... Instead I was served an amazing coming-of-age story, a surreal depiction of how cruel kids can be - and what good they are capable of. Part memories, part imagination, add real life, myths, and a sprinkle of the paranormal - this is the recipe for a very good film.

A layered film that should have obligatory screenings at high-schools world wide. (I hope kids today get it)

It is Halloween and a bunch of mean boys are going out to have some fun. One of them is starting to out-grow the group, especially when they pick on another boy he knows from when they were kids. The bullied kid black mails his old friend to spend the evening with him.

This is a coming of age film with a heavy under lying sense of menace, the horror element is very slight indeed.

The film has a slight surreal feel about it, all the adults leave the kids to run amok across town and everyone bumps into each other in the most unlikely of places.

There is a certain inevitability about this film that could be seen as predictability but I quite liked it.

The dynamics of the gang are portrayed with great zeal and shows how strong personalities can cloud the better judgement of others.

Well filmed, produced and acted. Some of the kids look a little bit old but their acting skills make up for it.

You will see the ending coming a mile off and there isn't much meat to the story but this was a very enjoyable Netflix watch.