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Coming-of-age drama about four orphans from an Outback convent school getting a holiday among the eccentric residents of a small cove in South Australia. Daniel Radcliffe stars
Like soap stars, actors who've become closely associated with a big movie role can find it hard to shake off the association. Daniel Radcliffe may find himself poked in the behind by Harry Potter's wand for several years after that franchise draws to a close. Still, from his choice of project and performance here, he has a fighting chance. Based on the novel by Michael Noonan, December Boys is the story of four boys - Maps (Radcliffe), Misty (Cormie), Spark (Byers) and Spit (Fraser) - growing up in a Catholic orphanage in the Outback in the 1960s. Here they wait and hope for adoption - being "saved" in the parlance of Misty's older self (Cullen), who narrates the film. With the help of a benefactor, the four friends - who are united by having been assigned December birthdays - get a change of scene, a holiday by the sea many miles away in South Australia. At the cove there's a small community of eccentrics - former naval man Bandy (Thompson) and his wife Skipper (McQuade), foul-tempered fisherman Shellback (Cotterill), and younger couple Theresa (Hill) and Fearless (Stapleton). The boys soon settle into a life of romping around, but emotional complications arise - Maps falls for Lucy (Palmer), who's staying with her uncle nearby, while Misty overhears a conversation between Fearless and Father Scully (Gallacher) in which the prospect of choosing one of the boys for adoption arises. While Maps is getting his first taste of romance, Misty resolves to be chosen. But the other boys eventually find out, and it becomes a sort of competition - one which may threaten their brotherhood. It's hardly an epic tale. But then part of the charm of December Boys is its focus - on the fraternity of the boys, of the community in the isolated cove. The main theme is the boys' burgeoning identities, and whether they even need the parenting they've so long dreamed about. It's classic coming-of-age material, like an Aussie seaside Stand By Me, with orphans. Despite the slightness, it's a satisfying, enjoyable film, thanks to a likeable cast and striking visuals. The boys are all good. Radcliffe proves he can shake off Harry easily (it helps that he can take off the specs and the lightning-shaped scar) and even pulls off something resembling a foreign accent. The cove and its environs are a gorgeous combination of sunlit sand dunes, ragged red rocks, and sparkling seas. It's a great backdrop to the story, bright and otherworldly, as if highlighting the new opportunities presented to the boys beyond the confines of their orphanage home. Verdict Daniel Radcliffe indicates he may be able to shake off Harry Potter in this amiable little drama. |
