Starting A "New"

Many children yearly go through the pains of being the “new kid”: starting over in a new town – or country – and having to adjust to their new surroundings, as well as coping with having to close a chapter in their life, and the circumstances in which it closed. I was one of them, having moved from an Indiana suburb to the busy city of Miami at the young age of ten. So it was easy to identify with the main character in the short film New Boy, written and directed by Steph Green. Based on the short story by Roddy Doyle, NewBoy tells the story of Joseph, a little African boy starting over in a new school in Ireland. Just as I was, as were many “new boys” and girls before me, Joseph was teased and picked on by his classmates, but was careful to keep his cool and stay silent. However, throughout the film, there are flashbacks of moments he spent back in Africa with his father, who was a school teacher. In these flashbacks lie the real reason for Joseph’s big continental move.

Some may not fully understand the magnitude of Joseph’s back-story, but I think we can all relate to a time where we felt out of place or misunderstood, how fortunate we are if we can find at least one person (no matter how small) to stand up for us, how our past can govern our actions, and how all things come together in the end. However, this film did give me lots of laughs (kids say the darndest things), which served as some great comic relief to go along with this endearing story. Check it out!!