Kathy Golski – Google

This film is as tender and profound, pure and mysterious as the mind of a child. And its about a child. The desert boy who is brought in to the small isolated mission on an outback hilltop somewhere. Warwick Thornton exercises a sure and artistic touch as he creates an atmosphere wherein two great forces merge, collide and convolute. The spiritual imagination driving christian religious fervour is easily understood by the New Boy in his child's way, as he mixes it naturally with his own indigenous bush spirituality and powerful magic. His intensified fervour manifests in dramatic situations which challenge the ways of the small community of a few boys, a handyman and the two beautifully played nuns, one grounded and even, the other, tuned in to the vibrations of the child, having outbursts of prayerful emotion as she seeks guidance from God. The end is poignant. The vibrant integrity of the New Boy is washed out with holy water. There is no violence, no judgement. It is a deeply thought provoking film about an aspect of our history which has remained covert.