Well, innocence is not angelic by definition. At least not always. It can be evil as well. This story underlines this fact in the most straightforward way i have ever seen on screen. Actually i am one of those who think that as people grow up, it's instinctively the evil that prevails in their choices and it's only through education, culture, experience and guidance that they get to understand that moral values should prevail as the only way of coexistence with other human beings. All living beings have instincts, so do humans. All living beings have "wants" cause they have needs, so do humans. Only humans, unlike animals, have also a brain that makes them want more than just a basic self preservation demands. And once they are not efficiently trained to pursue their demands without making second thoughts about a coexistence code given the existing human society, the only rule that prevails in their brain is the rule of the jungle. The "boy" in this film looks like an angel and actually could be not far from being one. But living without anything that could provide him with essential things to face the absolute loneliness and lack of any code of how far he can go with his -actually not at all excessive - demands he just gets to consider normal, things that should otherwise be taught to avoid. Trying to do his life better(he actually wants to escape from the isolated place he is doomed to live in) he gets gradually more and more accustomed with death and finally does not hesitate -actually he does it as if it's a fully justified, natural thing- to bring about the ultimate horror. Ted -that's the boy's name if i remember well- is not at all illustrated in this film as the cursed satanic "Demian" of the "Prophecy" child. What we have here is the case of a very normal, intelligent, extremely sweet, really adorable little fellow and not of any evil spirits possessions, anything but that. Actually that's what makes the story and its leading character more frightening than any corresponding "Profecy" or "Halloween" screen child murderers. It's just a sweet next door little man we have here, could be mine or yours and yet far too unknown far as his needs are concerned, needs which potentially under certain circumstances may cause destructive events and get us to really know him through them when it's too late. The film itself is very "flat" in the sense that not too many things happen in the most of it, but it's this "flat" approach that makes it realistic and so very interesting to watch as it slowly yet persistently introduces us to the "boy" 's world. In brief, a very honest, very good American film about two beautiful blue, sweet, angelic, innocent and yet evil eyes.
Review of The Boy
