Mallboy (2000)

2 out of 4

Starring: Kane McNay, Nell Feeney, Brett Swain, Brett Tucker

Director: Vincent Giarrusso

Time: 85 mins

Mallboy is a raw slice-of-life drama that focuses on a boy and his family during three days of his turbulent young life. The debut film for musician/director Vincent Giarrusso, Mallboy is shot in a gritty style that is reminiscent of other Australian films like Romper Stomper and the recent Chopper. The film is unfortunately let down by a first half hour that meanders aimlessly, where the protagonists don't do much at all except scream and shout at each other. The narrative energy rises a couple of notches midway through the film, but Mallboy ultimately lacks some punch and a satisfactory resolution.

Shaun (Kane McNay) is the product of a broken family. His dad, Sam (Brett Swain), has just been released from jail, one of his sisters is pregnant, and his mother Jenny (Nell Feeney) doesn't really care where he is. Compounding his problems is a social worker, Darren (Brett Tucker), who is searching for him. To escape these pressures, he hangs out with several friends at the local shopping mall, playing video games and indulging in a little bit of shoplifting and drug dealing. His mother decides to throw a homecoming party for his dad, but all hell breaks loose when his dad brings along his current girlfriend. What's a young boy like Shaun to do?

As mentioned before, Mallboy has an aimless first thirty minutes that does little except introduce the characters. Yes, it's a slice of life, but the problem with such snapshot-style storytelling is it often leaves plot elements unsatisfactorily incomplete. We know Shaun's sister is pregnant, but how, and why, and by whom? No answer. We witness hints of Shaun's dad's criminal activity, but how, and why? No answer. Shaun's parents are separated/divorced, though his mother Jenny still seems to love his dad. Why? What caused their separation? No answer.

It's only when the homecoming party gets into full swing that the storytelling receives a tension injection. Shaun's world spirals out of control, as even his dad doesn't seem to want him in his life. The resolution is moderately optimistic, but tinged with sadness, too, as Jenny's seeming nonchalance towards her son dissolves under the glare of a stranger. The ending may have brought the movie to a close, but it seemed like the easy way out (for Shaun, at least). Still, it was nice to see a bit of hope in an otherwise fairly bleak movie.

The acting by a cast of relative unknowns is fairly good. Nell Feeney, in particular, is impressive as the mother whose emotions are driven to extremes by her husband and children. McNay is also quite good, his face a tortured mix of frustration and loneliness. The other members of the cast are adequate in their roles.

Mallboy could have been more confronting, like Romper Stomper, but leaves several plot strands seemingly in the air. It's a reasonable effort by writer/director Giarrusso, offering a realistic insight into the lives of a broken family, but dragged down by an uneven first stanza and unsatisfactory finish.

Mallboy opens in Australia on January 25 .

(c) Joe Wong (2 November 2000)