December Boys

Movie, 2007, PG-13


Premise - Four orphan boys all born in the month of December go on a holiday to the Australian shore for their birthday month. One of the families who lives on that cove decides they want to adopt one of the boys, causing tension and competition between them.


Review - I have seen all of Daniel Radcliffe's work (with a few truly obscure exceptions), but this is one that I had put off watching until about a year ago. This was his first film he did outside of Harry Potter since he had been cast in those films, and shot this movie in between Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix. Because of this, I always figured it was a more meaningless side project. All of his post-Potter works I have been incredibly dedicated to because I know they are his whole career. But the films he did at the time of Harry Potter didn't seem as important. Watching this film for the first, and now second time, I was pleasantly surprised at this underrated film.

This is a very beautiful film shot in a very beautiful location. The film has beautiful music, both in its orchestral score and the 1960's/70's soundtrack, and I am currently adding the film's songs to my playlists. Unfortunately, while the film has some incredibly high moments, the low moments are so low that it ruins my overall perception of the film. While there are some epic shots of the Australian scenery, and some strong acting moments, I cannot ignore those cringy and cheesy moments of slow motion, obnoxiously overt motifs (that horse??), and some really strange religious imagery that I really just can't get behind. There's a lot of nuns in this film, and once they even do cartwheels...

I know the film is based on a book, but I have yet to read it. I don't know if I ever will because, according to Wikipedia, the film already took a lot of creative liberties. I would like to read the book to find out more about some of the motifs, such as Henry and the horse, because they were placed in a film that was more cheesy and sentimental than they were likely originally written. However, apparently in the original book, there are no sexual relationships, and the boys don't drink and smoke. What was so fun about this film was the rebellious camaraderie between the boys doing illicit activities (apart from Misty, of course, who was so well-behaved and innocent and sweet, it was hard not to fall for those big, watery eyes). However, some of the adult material confused me. Was I just completely misreading the scene, or was there an implication that Maps touched, or at least attempted to touch, the other boys? And if so, why is that brushed off so simply? Wouldn't that have a traumatic impact on them?

The premise is strong, but the plot is minimal and doesn't always flow logically. Somehow, still, I always get incredibly emotional at the end an almost tear up. I suppose it has more to do with an attachment to the characters than anything regarding plot. And Maps, played by Daniel Radcliffe, is by far the most interesting character.

Narratively, Maps is not the main role (this is Misty's story), but he is one of the boys who gets the most screen time and is credited first. Maps is the oldest of the four December boys, already past puberty. It creates an interesting dilemma in which Maps is still a boy, and therefore spends all of his time around other orphan boys, but is also a man with adult desires. Therefore he dresses like a boy, but carries himself like a man, and Daniel Radcliffe does this so convincingly. This is some of Dan's best acting, which definitely surprised me given how old the movie is now. I had previously only seen the trailer, in which his lines felt awkward and out of place, but in context Dan's line delivery is absolutely spot on. (64/100)


Quote - "And I wonder, still I wonder, who stopped the rain..."

What to watch for - Daniel Radcliffe has his first ever kissing and love scene in this film! I had watched those scenes a million times before I ever watched the full movie.

If you liked this movie, I'd recommend Kill Your Darlings!

Based on the book by Michael Noonan
Directed by Rod Hardy
Distributed by Warner Independent Pictures