Boys In The Trees (Australia, 2016)
Dir. Nicholas Verso
CAST: Toby Wallace, Gulliver McGrath, Mitzi Ruhlmann
I WANTED to like new Australian horror/fantasy film Boys In The Trees, I really did. There's something fascinating to me about a film set in the dark, pre-mobile phone world of 1997. The soundtrack - inspired by Triple J back when it was good - was memorable. The creepy feeling of impending doom. The jump scares with little brats jumping out at inopportune moments to spook other characters. The beautiful cinematography. Hell, I even enjoyed the underlying themes of growing up, mateship, the need to belong, betrayal and the fear of taking the big leap into the genuinely scary world of adulthood.
But the flaws are too many for me to give it a thumbs up. Firstly, the acting is atrocious. Secondly, the "shocking reveal" was telegraphed halfway through the film, rendering the "twist" decidedly unshocking. I also question the heavy reliance on Halloween as a theme. Halloween may be big in a few rich white suburbs nowadays, but it's nowhere near as big as it is in America. And it DEFINITELY wasn't big in Australia in 1997. So I call shenanigans on a whole suburb going apeshit bonkers over Halloween. Maybe in America, but not in Melbourne.
Also, two rich teens bemoaning their boring lives and telling each other, "We have to leave this town" by moving to New York City and Canada, respectively, rings false to me. Maybe if they lived in Melbourne in the 1950s. Or in the country. But Melbourne in 1997? I don't think so.
Or maybe that's just the bad acting that made me feel this way.
Anyway, I can't give Boys In The Trees more than 5/10.
* NB. I just read another online review that states the movie was filmed and set in Adelaide. But I swear I heard one female character refer to Flinders Street railway station, which is in Melbourne. Ultimately, it doesn't matter as Boys In The Trees strives to be international in flavour despite its Aussie setting.
