The New Boy
Directed by Warwick Thornton
Set in 1940s Australia, "The New Boy" is the story of a nine-year-old Aboriginal orphan boy (Reid) who arrives in the dead of night at a remote monastery run by a renegade nun (Blanchett), where his presence disturbs the delicately-balanced world in this story of spiritual struggle and the cost of survival.
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The New Boy Ratings & Reviews
- Kevin WardJuly 2, 2025An Aboriginal young boy apprehended by police is sent to a Catholic orohanage in remote Australian countryside, sometime during the 1940’s. Cate Blanchett, stars as Sister Eileen, the head nun entrusted with his care and the care of the other young indigenous boys at the orphanage. Sister Eileen is a little rough around the edges, has a penchant for cursing and likes to help herself to a few nips of wine when no one is looking. The new boy presents a particular challenge for Sister Eilleen. He barely speaks a word, eats with his hands, urinates in the fields and in general doesn’t conform to the order of the community. He also has a sort of supernatural power to conjure a spark of light from his hands. Director Warwick Thornton touches on indigenous issues, faith and spirituality, but despite some overt symbolism, thematically the film felt a little too amorphous. At one point the boy embraces a massive crucifix, tears it down off the cross, dresses it’s wounds and attempts to nurture it, spooning marmalade onto it’s mouth. When the boy is discovered, a horrified Sister Eileen sees to it that the statue is literally raised and literally nailed back onto the cross. It’s certainly powerful imagery set amidst the backdrop of the gorgeous Australian countryside, however, it was a bit of a bore to watch outside of a few of Cate’s moments of levity.
The New Boy Trivia
The New Boy was released on July 6, 2023.
The New Boy was directed by Warwick Thornton.
The New Boy has a runtime of 1h 56m.
The New Boy was produced by Cate Blanchett, Andrew Upton, Georgina Pym, Kath Shelper.
Set in 1940s Australia, "The New Boy" is the story of a nine-year-old Aboriginal orphan boy (Reid) who arrives in the dead of night at a remote monastery run by a renegade nun (Blanchett), where his presence disturbs the delicately-balanced world in this story of spiritual struggle and the cost of survival.
The key characters in The New Boy are Sister Eileen (Cate Blanchett), Sister Mum (Deborah Mailman), George (Wayne Blair).
The New Boy is rated Not Rated.
The New Boy is a Drama, History, Fantasy film.
The New Boy has an audience rating of 4 out of 10.
The New Boy has made $781K at the box office.