Boi (2016)

Directed by: Anthony Nti | 14 minutes | short film, drama | Actors: Nerhan Rominof, Marcelo Shibelev, Georgi Nikov, Marli Diallo

In ‘Boi’, a short film by Anthony Nti, we meet Boi(ko) and Luka, two Bulgarian boys who have not lived in Belgium for very long. In order to earn money, not only for themselves, but also for the family, they help their uncle collect metal and then take it to the scrap yard.

Petty crime is in the boys’ blood and that is distressing to see. Apparently they have been spoon-fed, because they light up a saleswoman without batting an eyelid. The fact that it’s only a few bucks doesn’t detract from the fact that you involuntarily form an immediate judgment.

However, the young filmmaker Anthony Nti succeeds in changing that judgment. Boiko is not much different from other, honest, peers and also longs for acceptance and friendship. Lucky for him, Luka is there. Whether he gives Boiko the best is questionable, but it is the utmost that is in his power. In a fragment of ultimate brotherly love, the viewer’s heart melts.

‘Boi’ is a nice portrait of two brothers whose fate has probably been sealed from birth. The short film was rewarded several times during the International Film Festival in Ghent in 2016.