An haunting look at the loss of indigenous culture.

Mixing realism with the magical aspects of a fable, The New Boy is set in 1940s Australia and centers around an Aboriginal child (played by 11-year-old Aswan Reid) with mysterious powers.

As the film opens, the boy is captured by police after he attacks an officer, and dumped late at night on the doorstep of a remote mission run by renegade nun Sister Eileen (Cate Blanchett). Assisted by Sister Mum (Deborah Mailman) and assimilated workman George (Wayne Blair), the new boy is to be educated, taught to be a good Christian, and put to work in the fields alongside other orphaned indigenous boys.

As his mystical power to heal is revealed, the new boy’s presence disturbs the delicately balanced world in this story of spiritual struggle and the cost of survival.

This new drama was directed by acclaimed and indigenous Australian filmmaker Warwick Thornton (Sweet Country). His ability to detail the devastating effects of colonialism is grounded in his lived experience. In The New Boy, we come face to face with the conclusion that even those who believe they are acting in the best interests of indigenous people are actually denying their inherent power and knowledge.