Boy 1.5

Child neglect is one of the most harmful things a human can do to one another. There are many different ways it gets shown in the film Boy. There may be times that you think you are not neglecting someone but when you look at the definition actually are and some of those moments are seen in the bridge scene. In this essay I am going to relate close ups, music, and the flashbacks shown in the bridge scene and how neglect gets shown in it to build your understanding and become a non neglectful person.

Close ups in the bridge scene are an amazing part of the film. You can see every detail on Boys face from the freckles to the red blood shot eyes. The red in his eyes is one of the things that relates back to neglect because it showed that Boy was high and at that age he should not be around that stuff. Seeing his own dad do it made him think it was supposedly “cool” which it is not and is neglect by Shogun his farther. This type of neglect doesn’t fit in to a particular category such as emotional or physical abuse it is more neglectful parenting because Shogun should be telling and showing Boy what is right and wrong wich he is not doing, all he cares about is the money package.

Music in the bridge relates to what Boy is going through in a big way. When the hymn of Amazing grace starts it is like Boy begins his dream everything starts to slow down makes us audience feel the situation he is in. The director Tika Whiti has intentionally used these lyrics because they relate back to Boy. My favourite part of this hymn is “I once was lost, but now i’m found, was blind, but now I see”. This segment of the hymn relates to Boy in really big way. It explains Boys non understanding of his farther and why he is there but soon releases at the bridge scene which is shown through the close ups of his eyes. The hymn relates to neglect a lot in the lyrics because thats how Boy new he was getting neglected, when he released how his dad wasn’t involved which is what the lyrics were saying. This brings up a very concerning point about neglect, that is that by the age of 17 23.5% of 55,443 kids born in 1998 had had at least one report on situation to do with neglect resulting in 3% of them going in to foster or alternate homes wich if Boy had called up would have most likely gone to a foster home because of his situation he was in.

Flash backs become a big part of the film in the bridge scene as that is the moment Boy realises what monster his dad is and how neglected he is. The first flash back in the bridge scene is of Boy and his mother sitting on a tree happily but when Boy opens his eyes again he suddenly realizes that his father, Shogun is not there. The next flash back Boy has his hand on the mothers stomach which had rocky in it but the biggest part of it is again Shogun not in sight bringing Boy a greater realization of the neglect him and his mother had been going through. When Boy opens up his eyes again it is like he awoke from a nightmare seeing the disbelieve in his dazed eyes. Boys eyes slowly close again and he gets his final flash back of the mother laying dead and neglect part of his blood now with another realization of Shogun no where to be seen. These flash backs bring up big points about neglect and how much Shogun is not involved and how neglected not only Boy but all the kids are. Neglect can happen very fast but can last a long time if no body does anything about it which is why it is so deadly.

I believe that this movie all together has given me a greater understanding of neglect in general. A big one that popped up was how unnoticed family violence can get and also the stereotypes of maori families being more poor or neglecting one another actually may be true because stats back it up, with 60% of children in state care being maori. The way that maori families are viewed can either be very good or very bad. The very bad term may mean that gangs are involved in the family like we see in Boy which is not healthy for the kids or parents. All together this movie brings out the good and bad of un wealthy children and becomes very meaningful by the end and sends a big message to the veiwers.