Taika Waititi's Boy hasn't been one of those Sundance movies that ignites an instant bidding war, but it's been a well-liked favorite among those I know who have seen the tender and hilarious coming-of-age story. Set in New Zealand in 1982, Boy is about a kid named, well, Boy (James Rolleston, in a funny and fierce debut), who must cope with some lost ideals when his long-distant dad comes home and turns out to be a petty criminal, not a heroic deep-sea diver. The movie's tagline, "What if the hero you've been waiting for is a dick?", kind of says it all.
Waititi based the film on his Oscar-nominated short Two Cars, One Night, but told me in our interview high above Park City's Main Street that he wasn't entirely prepared the challenges that came with casting a dozen or so child actors-- and that was even before he cast himself to act alongside them as the disappointing father. Check out my interview with Rolleston and Waititi below-- they were a little worn out as you can tell from the below screenshot in which they start things off by lying down, but that made three of us. Park City can take a lot out of everyone.
For more of our Sundance 2010 coverage, click here.
