Last Saturday, was a Family Movie Treat for employees of Convergy’s for their PBCom Site, they are actually allowed to bring along two people (either a family member, relative or a friend) for a free movie treat at Greenbelt Cinema. My hubby being an employee of Convergys invited me to watch the free movie with him. The said movie treat is a part of the Human Resources’ incentive program for all their employees. So there I was spending two hours of a Saturday afternoon with the entire Convergys PBCom community- (was a bit shy & awkward since I came from another call center, but then again I’m a guest so I better enjoy it-besides its free!) The said treat has been going on for almost a month now with different movies every week and for that particular Saturday, the featured movie was: December Boys-starring Harry Potter himself- Daniel Radcliffe!
The movie is basically an Australian indie film. For the plot: the story revolved between the friendship & brotherhood of four young orphans. Four orphans -Daniel Radcliffe (Maps), Lee Cormie (Misty), Christian Byers (Spark) James Fraser (Spit) all born in December (therefore regarded as: December Boys) living in the outback during the 50’s traveled to the seaside for a joyous winter vacation as a treat for their birthdays. They lived with a friendly couple of parishioners who own a small cottage by the sea. There they join the tight-knit community of locals—crotchety old man Shellback who’s always fishing for that one allusive fish, the minister Father Scully, an uncle and his comely teenage niece Lucy and a young, childless couple Teresa and Fearless, who works for the nearby circus. When they thought they were having a great time, the vacation then turned troublesome when they found out that the local childless couple next door was planning to adopt one of them. Misty overheard that Teresa and Fearless may want to adopt one of the orphans and quickly works to ingratiate himself by setting the table and painting pictures for his new parents. A hostile competition arose between the four just to win the couple’s attention and gain their trust-the said incident became a threat to their alliance. But the issue does not only spin for the boy’s longing for a normal family and belongingness. There were other issues such as their kindly hostess going through another relapse with breast cancer, Maps having encountered his first sexual relationship (and heartbreak) with the precocious Lucy and Misty having a religious vision of mother Mary when he nearly drowns in the inlet.
One question lies though…would it be nice for kids to watch the movie? I guess not… There are small portions of sex and nudity like the mooning, peeping tom glimpses of bare breasts. Radcliffe’s first sexual experience plus vices like smoking and drinking. There were scenes of violence and light cursing where the boys most of the times fight with each other that Misty almost drowned. The movie seemed too mature for young children; this would be best and better understood by older children who might have a crush or admiration for Daniel Radcliffe and for teenagers, struggling with the turbulent days of adolescence. On the other hand, there are scenes that would catch the attention of older viewers; it serves as a reminder of enduring friendships and the feel of falling in love for the 1st time and the feel of heartbreak at the same time as well. The movie could also serve as an eye opener or point of discussion for religious and healthcare institutions. As for Daniel Radcliffe, aside from doing Harry Potter, he has done Equus (a movie) and Extras ( an HBO series). From the movies and series he has starred, 18 year old Radcliffe has exemplified maturity and has illustrated pleasantness even in sexual scenes. This is actually the first time I’ve seen Dan out of his magical cloak and wand. He has gone far from being the famous “Harry Potter”. There was never a trace of Harry from the scenes he has portrayed. And I guess his fans would be proud to see him with a refreshing façade seeing their magical hero face real life struggles without using his magical wand but real life emotions. In conclusion-the movie is simple yet heartwarming…
