BOY@ The Angelika/Live From New York

Back to NYC Fridays with Pammy.  Lunch at DOS CAMINOS (delicious up scale Mexican) and then a film at The Angelika.  BOY is a gorgeous film shot in New Zealand with an indigenous cast (mostly children) directed by Taiki Waititi Paladin.  The terrain is beautiful and the  cinematography captures the richness of environment while the kids are obviously living a close to basic life very rich in culture.  A young boy is left at home to care for his younger relatives (5 in all) while Grandma goes off to a funeral.  He takes his tasks seriously and happily and all appears well until Pop escapes from jail and comes home with his crew made up of two seriously stupid jailbird friends.  Boy is faced with an identity challenge: become like Dad or maintain his own true self.  The imagery in this film is quite creative and fantastic.  All violence is substituted by Michael Jackson's impromptu THRILLER  dance sequences and illustrations come to life to communicate the special powers of the younger brother. Mom has died in childbirth  and her grave is a central figure in the film.  There's a goat, hidden money, marijuana plants, sparklers, and an unusual old man who emerges as a hero.  All of this contributes to a beautifully made film filled with humor, sadness, and truth regarding family and coming of age for a young boy and his brother.  Don't miss this, it's wonderful.