Festival de Cannes
MOVIE REVIEW
The New Boy (2023)
Cate Blanchett became a global superstar so quickly after her movie debut that it’s been a very, very long time since she has played an Australian. Evidently life in lockdown had her reconsider; and she worked closely with writer-director-cinematographer Warwick Thornton to bring “The New Boy” to the screen, starting with the Cannes Film Festival. She is one of its producers, as is her husband Andrew Upton, and their daughter Edith Upton is credited as a “morale officer.” It is a showcase for herself and the 9-year-old Aswan Reid as the new boy, in a parable of religion, duty and how rules for living both create and prevent happiness. It is a strange and sad experience, and unfortunately not imaginative enough to have its desired effect.