Taika Waititi Revisits His Maori Roots in ‘Boy’

New Zealand born director Taika Waititi returned to the Maori village where he spent his childhood to film the movie “Boy.” Waititi based this story on his 2005 Oscar-nominated short “Two Cars, One night.”

Set in 1984, on the north island of New Zealand, the film “Boy” is an emotionally powerful story about the relationship between an 11-year-old boy, who goes by the name “Boy,” and his estranged father, who returns home after getting out of prison.

Waititi not only wrote this story but starred in the film, playing Boy’s father, Alamein.

He shot the film in the village and used local Maori people as extras and actors, including two brilliant children, James Rolleston, who plays “Boy,” and Te Aho Eketone Whitu, who plays his brother, Rocky.

Rolleston was originally cast as an extra, but was hired to play “Boy” three days before the film shoot began. He is an amazing actor, a charismatic boy who lights up the screen in every scene.

Taika Waititi's tatoo bears the name of his tribe's family. (Photo: The World)

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