O Garoto Sombrio

The reviewers who disliked this movie didn't understand it. It's more European in its pacing and story arc, not for the simple-minded or those who do no outside reading. It is the best movie I've yet seen on the genesis of a sociopath and murderer, but it'a "quiet" film and assumes the viewer may know at least SOMEthing about one of the biggest topics of the last 50 years, serial murderers, and how they got that way. This boy has no guidance or love, his father is too wounded to notice or be of any real help. David Morse is always good, and Rainn Wilson's performance was revelatory.

I liked The Boy and have been recommending it to people I know who will "get" it. It gave me the creeps.

A good cast save this film from becoming a boring watch. It has a couple of uneasy scenes and the story plays out as you'd kind of expect. It just went on a little too long, this film could have cut at least 30 minutes of footage and the film would have not felt or looked any different, its a slow burn but this was arse-strainingly slow for the most part.

If there were to be a sequal though - I would watch it.

I would advise viewers to ignore most of the critic reviews on this one. I was engrossed from start to finish. There are no car chases and no fancy plot twists, but The Boy is a thoroughly enthralling film about a young boy who not only is dealing with a lot of boredom living at and running a remote motel with his father, but is also experiencing a good deal of anger and angst over the fact that his mother left them.

The actors were outstanding, and I was impressed by the character development. Some have complained that the movie is "too slow," but I think the pace captures the boy's experience quite well, and offers up chilling dinner table fodder. I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a solid psychological thriller.

Well.. Many people finds this movie piece, boring, slow. To me, it's a gem, wonderful!

I don't really see why anyone should think it's boring. The "slow" phase of the movie is just character development.. In many of the scenes, the boy does unspeakable things that are sitter natural or common. And he pushes the limits more and more.. And makes the film more and more exciting and creepy! And the story is so very creepy, and good, thanks to excellent acting!

I really love this indie film, the cinematography and acting, not to mention the director in this movie is brilliant! Who would have guessed that a comedian from "The office" was this talented and perfect for the creepy-vibe role!? The kid also nails his part! I really love this flick, recommended highly! (Try to get inn the story, and not give up... It's not boring, it's character/story development!

...And it brings out the worst in people. Take Ted and his dad for example. John (David Morse) is depressed and bit of a drinker, running a run down motel in a middle of nowhere, where guests arrive only by accident. Ted is a cute little blond boy, who caught an acute case of sociopathy, he's fascinated with death and very weird young man.

The running thread in this film is vast, unavoidable loneliness of the place and characters, not a healthy situation for a kid, who's getting bored and his anger for being stuck there builds slowly.

Creepy kids are often quite annoying, that's just how things are, and it's kinda hard to actually root for them but there are certain aspects of his life that can make us feel bad for Ted. At least occasionally, and for a brief moment. Mom's run away with some random guest, so he's left with the father, a decent guy but kind of lethargic and a loner himself. And the dream that he'll one day leave this miserable place and join his mother.

The pace is very slow which of course stresses the atmosphere, the actual misdeeds that we witness break away from the overall melancholy and outbursts of anger provide much needed dynamics. There are moments of tension which get slowly drowned by the tone of the film, building on leisurely drama rather than lifting the horror elements. But the finale is certainly fitting, as all we'd seen before it led to the big resolution.

This film is not particularly original, let me mention brilliant The Good Son, as a reference; but it follows the recent trend in cinema where slow burn drama dominates even straight genre work, making them seem more arty and meditative at the expense of action sequences. Making even US films like this one, seem more...I don't know...European in tone and style.

The film doesn't really dwell on the boy's nature, it doesn't raise obligatory nature vs nurture question as we are aware this boy's life is not happy. On the other hand it deals with father - son relationship a bit, making it very clear mom's absence and isolation has really affected the kid. But has it really, or did he just want to break away from boring routine where nothing happens unless you make it so yourself? "Oh well. We all do what we can not to think about life" I suppose.