Boy (2012)

Directed by: Tami Ravid | 50 minutes | drama | Actors: Gerald Gonzales, Bart Klever, Arvin Quirante, René van Zinnicq Bergman

‘Boy’, a short film made as part of One Night Stand 2012, tells the story of someone who lives a bit of a life in the shadows, a Filipino cleaner. This boy’s life mainly consists of work, with the money he earns for the most part going to his family at home. In addition, his boyfriend, a dancer in a gay nightclub, but has other dreams, also leans rather on him. He doesn’t seem to really do anything for himself. Until one day one of his clients commits suicide and he and his former lover grow closer. But does this make his life better in the long run?

‘Boy’ has an interesting premise: a look at the life of one of those people who barely stand out in our society. The people who hardly make contact with the outside world because it hardly notices them and they also do their best to stand out as little as possible. Just work hard, don’t whine and try to earn as much money as possible to help the family.

That invisible quality of the main character in this story is, on the one hand, a bit of the film’s weakness. Because you as a viewer have so little insight into the emotions and motivations of the protagonist, it is sometimes difficult to empathize. On the other hand, this is also the strong point of this film, because it reflects very strongly what role these types of people play in our society. These people don’t really matter to us and they seem to have that feeling themselves.

All in all, ‘Boy’ is a film that gives food for thought. And with that, this can be called a successful One Night Stand.