By: debbie lynn elias
It was one of my most difficult review decisions this week in selecting which movie to offer you as my featured review. An impressive diverse group of new openings this week include a quadruple Oscar winning team of Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon in Paul Haggis’ “In the Valley of Elah” inspired by the true story of a U.S. soldier killed by his comrades and friends on their return to Ft. Benning after a lengthy stint in Iraq (and which will make at least one if not more Oscar contenders again); a fall down funny story of love in the 21st century called “Ira & Abby”; Oscar winner Michael Douglas in a quirky comedy about a quirky man’s search for buried treasure in “The King of California”; and finally, my ultimate choice for this column, DECEMBER BOYS starring everyone’s favorite boy wizard, Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe. Based on the sentimental classic novel of the same name by Michael Noonan, DECEMBER BOYS is simply joyous. With a full compliment of emotion from joy and happiness to sadness and tears, I found my own eyes welling up near film’s end.
Maps, Misty, Spit and Spark are inseparable. Maps, the eldest, is in his awkward teen years and looked to as the older brother, the glue that holds the boys together. Misty, the youngest, is sweet and polite and an extremely talented artist. Always hopeful that on adoption days he will be picked to be someone’s son, he takes great care with his appearance and manners. Spit, as you might imagine, earned his nickname from one of his bad habits, and Spark is the jokester, the outgoing, adventurous one. Orphans, they call home a Catholic orphanage in the desolate Australian Outback in the mid-1960’s. With no family of their own and the days turning into months and years without being adopted, the four have a common tie that binds them even more than being orphans; they are all born in December, thus declaring themselves brothers and the December Boys. The orphanage itself is bland, plain, no frills. The Sisters, strict and commanding. There are no field trips or ball games. No extras of any kind but for what comes in through charitable donations. Each child is left to their own devices for play and entertainment and in rare cases such as the December Boys, the camaraderie of each other and every once in awhile, a miracle.
Retired naval officer Bandy McAnsh and his wife, Skipper, are a wonderful middle-aged couple. With a home nestled in a beautiful pristine cove along the sea in Southern Australia, the two have everything anyone could ever ask, everything except the joy of children. Wanting to do a little something for some deserving children, and themselves, the McAnshes extend a most generous offer to the orphanage – they wish to have some children come spend the Christmas holidays with them at their home. And who better than to be the recipients of this kindness than the December Boys, as a birthday gift you might say.
As they trundle along a lone dirt road from the desolate redness of the Outback heading ever closer to the sea, their excitement builds, particularly when they come across a carnival and see the incredible motorcycle daredevil Fearless. Awed by the spectacle of the lights and the energy of life, their excitement is barely containable as they journey onward for their special holiday. But as if the carnival wasn’t thrilling enough, just imagine their first look at the beautiful blue sea, a shining sun between two rocky masses rising to the heavens like spires on a church, framing the idyllic cove. To them, this is heaven on earth.
As Bandy lovingly cares for an ailing Skipper, the boys venture out in search of the wonders that have been bestowed upon them. Imagine their surprise when it turns out that motorcycle rider Fearless and his wife Teresa live only two doors from Bandy and Skipper. Even better, Fearless and Teresa want a child. With high hopes for convincing the couple to adopt at least one of them, but for Maps, the boys set out on a mission to impress with none taking it to more extremes than Misty. But, finding parents isn’t their only joy or purpose. The boys encounter a stallion with a flowing mane that according to legend, catches fish! And being at the sea, there is the resident Old Salt named Shellback who spends his days searching for the fish to end all fish, Henry. Then there are rock formations as old as time that hold great fascination particularly for Maps who stumbles into a secret cave equipped with a record player, 45’s, chairs, blankets and crate tables…all belonging to a long legged free spirited blonde goddess named Lucy.
While Spark, Spit and Misty endeavor at their games and play, Maps finds himself drawn to Lucy. Exchanging confidences and feeling closer to her in many respects than with the December Boys, Maps wears his heart on his sleeve as he struggles with the pangs of puberty, a first love, sweet seduction, a loss of innocence and a broken heart. And as the holiday winds down, the boys, the McAnshes and even Teresa and Fearless, all learn lessons about life, love, death, friendship and hope.
Knowing that he would have a large gap of time between the “Goblet of Fire” and “Order of the Phoenix”, Daniel Radcliffe had been looking for another project. “One of the reasons I wanted to do this was that I think everyone can associate with Maps’ character. Maps is such a different character from Harry. And I wanted to do something that was different. And it was the fact that the stage directions, which are never normally something that stands out in a script, these were written like excerpts from some fabulous novel and these were beautiful to read. It leapt off the page.” His first project outside of Harry Potter, Daniel is charming as Maps. Confident, tentative, nervous and unabashedly delightful, he soars with subtly nuanced layers of emotion as he tackles the angst of being a teen. So put your fears to rest Daniel. You don’t need a wand to make magic.
I fell in love with Christian Byers last year as Ashmol in “Opal Dream”. Describing his performance in that film, I wrote “one fine little actor. . . he runs the gamut of brotherly emotions and has a very expressive face with luminous eyes. His agitation, joy, concern, boyish style. . .is all universally appealing, enjoyable and believable.” Here, as Spark, the same applies but taken to a more mature level and much more noticeable given his interaction with the other boys. Lee Cormie’s Misty is a delight. Very intense and determined, he gives Misty a courageous elan. James Fraser, already having “retired” from acting at age 11 after one film, came out of retirement to play the fun-loving prankish Spit.
Normally, this is not the type of film that I would find men or boys attracted to, but guys, this is a do not miss for you if only for one reason – Teresa Palmer. Named one of Australia’s 30 Stars of Tomorrow, Teresa Palmer is a star today. Radiating a luminous carefree mature innocence, as Lucy she has a detached aloofness that is refreshing but then adds subtle shadings of love and affection in her relationship with Daniel Radcliffe’s Maps and never moreso than in his loss of innocence.
Rarely too pleased with film adaptations of books, and particularly a classic like Michael Noonan’s DECEMBER BOYS, this is one exception. Told through the eyes of Misty, screenwriter Marc Rosenberg captures to a tee the youthful exuberance, the camaraderie, the closeness, the childhood angst, joys and heartaches of the novel. Although deviating somewhat from the storyline with a few film embellishments, he did an excellent job of translating book to screen. Complimenting the well crafted poignancy of the story itself is Rod Hardy’s direction. Together his right hand Director of Photography Dave Connell, the result is exemplary. Visual perfection. Hand picking the location of Kangaroo Island for lensing, a more beautiful location could not have been found. With the rock formations and the cove, the entire setting made the childhood experiences told as being sacred which, in fact, they were.
Costume Designer Marriett Kerr went to the ends of the earth to capture the look of the 60’s in the outback. With a mix-match collection of period correct stylings, she ingrains the sensibilities and mores of the era with a mere shoe or shirt or sweater. Likewise, Production Designer Leslie Binns worked wonders actually building the little village in the cove which captures the very look imagined when reading the book.
Capturing a richness and poignancy of childhood, the end result is, as I wrote earlier, simply joyous. Sentimental, gentile and hopefully nostalgic, from acting to lensing to design to location to direction, DECEMBER BOYS will warm your heart on a cold winter or hot summer night. Now this is magic.
Maps – Daniel Radcliffe
Spark – Christian Byers
Spit – James Fraser
Misty – Lee Cormie
Lucy – Teresa Palmer
Directed by Rod Hardy. Written by Marc Rosenberg based on the novel by Michael Noonan. PG-13 (105 min)
