Boys in the Trees Review
Boys in the Trees Review – Jack Fitzpatrick
Some movies are just ‘fun.’ They’re made to entertain and nothing more. Some movies are simple and will appeal to mass audiences. Some movies just aim to get a laugh or two and some aim to just make money. But sometimes you come across something that is a whole lot more; Some movies are an experience. Some are an emotional journey. Some are trying to tell us all something a little more important than those ‘fun’ ones. And some movies are just plain special. “Boys in the Trees” is something more like those later examples. It’s something kind of pure. And most of all, it’s something truly worth seeing.
…The thing is though, that unfortunately nobody is going to see it. “Boys in the Trees” is a perfect example of something great slipping under the radar. This little Australian gem is going to go by unknown, even by Australians and I think it’s a real shame. And so, I feel I owe something to the film. I feel a certain sense of responsibility to talk about it. Even if it doesn’t get much recognition because of it. I feel like something has to be said.
Let me start off blunt. I’m not hiding this in some pretentious language to make myself sound more intelligent, I’m not putting off anything to be mysterious and keep you around till the end and I’m not holding off on any of my general opinions; “Boys in the Trees” is FANTASTIC film-making. It’s an example of a film that had me completely and totally enthralled throughout. And afterwards I just needed a moment to process it all. It’s tonally heavy, but it’s grounded. It’s haunting, but it’s beautiful. And it’s also just a little weird, but it also manages to be densely realistic. It’s a perfect mix of creepy, dark and even a little fun.
The film tells the story of an Australian high school graduate as he experiences a strange Halloween night with another boy whom he has history with. The two embark on an eccentric journey of which along the way they tell spooky stories and learn about one another. The film is a drama at heart while it covers itself in a ghost story. And what follows is something that is kind of difficult to explain. It’s a film that would probably best be described as a mix between “It Follows” and unexpectedly; “The Revenant.”
“Boys in the Trees” throws its audience into the deep end from the get-go though, as we are introduced to a group of young boys who have just graduated high school in their small Australian town. Set in the 90’s, a range of trends become apparent as we see the group skateboard, listen to punk music and don some ‘rad’ earrings. The movie is certainly shrouded in this layer of nostalgia for the 90’s. But it is here where it soon becomes clear that this film also manages to remain very realistic as it portrays young people in a respectably accurate manner. They swear – or don’t, depending on the character, they think that they’re mature – or don’t depending on the character and they desire something more – or don’t depending on which character we are speaking about. This doesn’t feel like one of those movies where the writer is a bit out of touch and so each character speaks exactly the same and are essentially the same. Instead, “Boys in the Trees” presents us with young people as just that; People. They aren’t perfect, they aren’t played by 30 year old’s and they aren’t stuck in some other stereotype. The major characters in the film are all complex humans whom are all like people you know or have known in real-life; Everybody knows or has known the kid that dreams of bigger things and wants to move out of their town. Everybody knows the one that’s of the polar-opposite of this and wants nothing to change because they’re afraid of what the future will bring them and everybody knows the quiet kid that is a bit weird, doesn’t fit in and, sadly, gets bullied by his peers.
And this here is easily one of the best aspects to the film; How globally relatable it is. It doesn’t matter if you’re 15, 25 or 55. “Boys in the Trees” is a telling tale of something that we all experience. Perhaps you have yet to, maybe you’re in the middle of it or maybe it happened a long time ago but it is something that we all go through; “Boys in the Trees” is simply a tale about growing up. It’s a coming of age story, with Halloween themed skin. The themes of changing overtime and developing your personality, losing friends and trying to be somebody that you’re not are all things that we’ve either done ourselves or at least have seen others do. Each character has a different level of maturity, and a different view of the world and the movie does a stellar job of balancing it’s characters. The film tell its personal story and has themes that I’d say just about everyone would be able to relate to. I’d be surprised if you would say that the film isn’t relatable. Because It’s not just relatable to young people, it’s not just relatable to males and it’s not just relatable to Australians. It’s human nature. It’s global.
And of course what follows these relatable themes come drama and emotion which never come off as even vaguely laughable. “Boys in the Trees” does and should take itself seriously in this way. And not every problem that a character has is bombastic or life threatening, no, instead many of the conflicts are much more grounded; A struggling friendship, fear of the future and what to do with one’s life are examples of what takes centre stage here.
To display such relatable and complex themes, throughout the film, “Boys in the Trees” presents much use of some brilliant symbolism through just beautiful visuals. The entire film is surprisingly, strikingly stunning. For such a small film, with what I assume was quite a limited budget, the film does a wonderful job of impressing in terms of the way it was shot and how it looks. Memorable shots of creepy clown masks with bright orange flare smoke surrounding the wearer, metaphorical monsters representing darker things in reality such as a sheep and wolves and shots of even simpler things such as the main characters skateboarding or a conversation between two people in a convenience store are some specific examples of which truly prove what the film was capable of visually. And what makes it even better is that it has originality to it. The style is unique and has the potential to be considered recognizable. (I will be looking out for the filmmaker’s future projects.) The artistry behind the films direction is undeniably good and plays a big part of what the film is.
I almost literally cannot think of any flaws when it comes to this movie. I absolutely fell in love with it. If I had to be VERY nit-picky the only things that I’d say with any regard of negativity when it comes to this movie is that one MIGHT interpret it as a bit pretentious – It feels like a film student’s ultimate desire due to it’s heavy use of symbolism as well as the general story telling techniques used throughout. Another MINOR problem that one may have with the film is that some plot points are a bit predictable.
And that is about it… Those are pretty much the only negatives that I can think of in regard to this movie… And those are not even real problems…
“Boys in the Trees” is a haunting film, but probably not in the way that one would expect if they’ve only seen the trailer. It’s mature, attractive and relatable and not a scene feels wasted. But most of all it’s a film with purpose and meaning, it has something to say and it very much feels like one clear vision. Writer and director Nicholas Verso successfully tells his story with a high level of competence and grace throughout. It’s kind of a horror story, it’s kind of a fantasy and it’s all a coming of age story.
I urge anyone and everyone to go see this. “Boys in the Trees” is a fantastic film that’s worth your attention. And if you’re anything like me; A film that you might even love.
10/10
