MovieChat Forums > The Boy (2022) Discussion > A few thoughts + Correct me if I'm wrong

A few thoughts + Correct me if I'm wrong

posted 8 years ago by chasebot
1 reply | jump to latest

To start off, everything here are just my personal thoughts after watching the movie.

I thought this was a brilliant movie and it might be one of my favorites of all time! The cast performed great, but Jared Breeze - played Ted Henley marvelously. I thought it was a really challenging role, especially for a young boy. I could feel his extreme loneliness and boredom through his eyes, to such an extent that I wished i could enter the movie and befriend him.

Here's some speculation I had after watching the entire movie, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Could William Colby (Rainn Wilson) be the 'trucker' that Ted's mom left with years ago?

I got this idea after the scene where the guy on the radio told the sheriff (Bill Sage) that "the owner's wife died in a fire" - was he referring to John's (David Morse) wife? Right after that scene, William Colby mentioned to Ted that his wife died in a fire too and that "me and my wife wished we had a kid like you". Coincidence?

Perhaps John never got to see who his wife fled with, and Ted was too young to remember how the 'trucker' looked like. But if this would be the case, then I wouldn't understand why William would return to around the motel.

Again, these are just my thoughts on the plot. I'm pretty sure I'm missing something here or that I'm reading too much into it?

Also, contrary to many who claimed that the movie was too long and slow, I think it was necessary. The front portions of the movie was basically Ted idling around, cleaning up rooms and luring animals. It HAD to be shown in order to let audiences understand truly how boring and lonely life was for Ted. It was to allow audiences to put themselves in Ted's shoes, allowing them to understand why Ted was always interested and curious in new events (arrival of new customers etc) and 'couldnt leave the customers alone' like with the prom incident.

Talking about the prom scene, where Ted was beaten and bullied by those teens, I felt so tremendously sad for Ted while at the same time, furious at those prom teens. Bullying a young boy at such an age, and nobody came to help him after the beating (except the girl who was dragged away eventually)? Brutal.

But hold up, the most unbelievable part was when Ted sought his father for help. Instead of comforting Ted or helping him clean his wounds, HE REPRIMANDED HIM.LIKE REALLY, COME ON. ISN'T TED'S LIFE DEPRESSING ENOUGH ALREADY? I mean I know John was a depressed father and i understand his pains/sufferings. But your child just got bullied and you're the only family he's got, are you seriously that depressed to the point you can't show love and affection to your only beloved one in that deserted place? If I were John I would so kick their asses out of my motel, I don't need that money if you're gonna bully my boy.

So yeah, I'm kinda glad he burned those prom teens... Is that weird? But burning his father was just overboard. At the same time, it's an evidence of him becoming more psychotic and on his path to becoming a danger in society.

I genuinely hope to see the 2nd part of this trilogy. Maybe Jared Breeze could continue acting in the second part?

Will he ever find his mother in Florida, or is his mother really dead like mentioned above? Is there anyone to save this poor boy before it's too late? There's just so many unanswered question.

To end off, i want to say again that everything here are nothing but my opinions. Not sure if anyone here share the same thoughts as me.

[–] WubbaLubbaDubDub 8 years ago

I think you're onto something about Colby. It hadn't occurred to me till you mentioned it but it explains his character so much. It almost feels like they were going to go that route and then edited it out. Maybe in order to keep Ted emotionally isolated? Colby just being another customer that will move on keeps us seeing Ted in a hopeless light.

Colby's willingness to let Ted hang around him so quickly even though he's in the process of grieving. I'd just assumed he enjoyed the honest conversation and saw how lonely the kid was but secretly being his father fits so much better. Ted wanting to have a drag of his cigarette(dads cigarette). When Ted asks if he can go with Colby his response is "maybe next time". John's(Ted's guardian) conversation about Colby about not getting too close to Ted and telling him about his first girl crush did not sound like a concerned parental figure talking to a stranger but more like he's talking to a deadbeat dad.

On a side note when John(David Morse) lashed at Ted after he saw the state he was in I'd already empathized with him so much by then I couldn't be mad at him. It was the wrong reaction for multiple reasons. All the endless stress he was going through keeping that place going on top of raising a kid who he didn't know how to relate to. Just after renting his rooms to people he knew were going to wreck the place and having to further discount the rooms in front of Ted because they needed the money so bad. Broken man and I just felt for him.