The Boy

I would advise viewers to ignore most of the critic reviews on this one. I was engrossed from start to finish. There are no car chases and no fancy plot twists, but The Boy is a thoroughly enthralling film about a young boy who not only is dealing with a lot of boredom living at and running a remote motel with his father, but is also experiencing a good deal of anger and angst over the fact that his mother left them.

The actors were outstanding, and I was impressed by the character development. Some have complained that the movie is "too slow," but I think the pace captures the boy's experience quite well, and offers up chilling dinner table fodder. I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a solid psychological thriller.

A good cast save this film from becoming a boring watch. It has a couple of uneasy scenes and the story plays out as you'd kind of expect. It just went on a little too long, this film could have cut at least 30 minutes of footage and the film would have not felt or looked any different, its a slow burn but this was arse-strainingly slow for the most part.

If there were to be a sequal though - I would watch it.

What's with the bad reviews ? For an offbeat kind of slasher film but not really .... yes it's dismal and shabby and possibly only 1 likable character (basically we see the lowest of humanity) and lousy parenting lousy kid lousy life lousy motel lousy infrequent guests most of whom are glad to check out .. but the prom invasion at the end trumps all for ugly and vulgar. A nice combination. So when bad things happen to rotten people with whom we have no emotional investment, it's not as difficult to take. No emotional investment is not to say the acting is bland or the dialogue shallow -to the contrary. The characterization is good - we really get to know these people very well (too well) which means we aren't manipulated into grieving any we lose. I had no idea what this film was about-I found it on SciFi Demand and I love to see an independent film. The cinematography the colors the mountains the dust -it's all fantastic. This is no crappy production. It's creepy and I'm glad it's a little over the top to make the story 'lighter' where I needed it anyway. Exaggerated-that's the right word .. It felt short not sweet. I was moved enough to yell commands at the characters and I watched right to the bitter (and perfect) end . PS No resemblance to Psycho! This one is more believable, less of a farce yet still can be taken lightly. I'd say it must be taken lightly in fact. They're both suspenseful and captivating, If that's a commonality. When I saw a review that mentioned Psycho 'where it was done better' ? No I don't think this movie 'set out to do' anything ... nor to resemble Psycho excerpt superficially. I believe some films stand alone. Yes in that way they are similar in that they are not.

Brilliant acting and a near accurate portrayal of the development of a psychopath

I watched this film by accident (thinking it was another film with the same title) and was drawn into the story from the very first shot.

This is a film that has been crafted - a rarity in US film making nowadays. Each shot carefully considered and in tune with the development of the characters as we get to understand their story and who they are.

I am not a fan of child actors, many of whom fall short of portraying strong characters. This kid in this film (Jared Breeze) is definitely an exception. His portrayal of the boy is natural, believable, and very, very strong.

The other actors are just as strong, which brings us a well rounded interaction between them that is as realistic as it could be without being there.

It is a film you have to watch - and not glance at occasionally. The story and the cinematography do the rest to make this one of the best films I have seen in a long time.

Growing up without internet or video game is bad enough, but Ted has to live in a remote motel in the middle of nowhere. The premise of a child gradually becoming more bizarre in his nature is executed fairly well, it gives audience a clear view of how the isolation and what little interaction he has shapes his mind. However, with runtime almost two hours and majority of it is uneventful, this slow burner might not appeal to mainstream audience.

Thriller or horror nowadays is leaning towards faster pace developments. For example, Gone Girl delivers twists and turns frequently. The Boy is more of a slow burner, it portrays Ted and his strange mental process. Much of it is by his body language and others' influences. This keeps the audience guessing on his state of mind as the young boy seemingly perceives things awkwardly different than we would.

The better parts of the movie show that Ted might just be the victim of condition or unlucky encounter with wrong people. From his father and guests, all have inherited flaws which Ted may misguidedly follow. The other angle is he's already disturbed from the beginning and takes advantage of others. He doesn't talk much, and it's probably better that way since the scenes are more effectively when he's silent.

The main concern is the slow pace. Sure, it has good cinematography, but there are many lingering shots. Music is steadily becoming grim, and this is more weird than dreadful since there's barely significant development as the scenes are prolonged more than they need be. It feels as though the movie hypes a dreadful scene only to shift to normal dialogue.

It's eerie at times simply by how isolated and lonely The Boy is portrayed, but it could benefit from faster screenplay, especially in few bland moments that barely contribute to the story.