Director Warwick Thornton’s (Sweet Country) latest drama, set in 1940s Australia, depicts the mesmeric story of a 9-year-old Aboriginal orphan boy whose presence disturbs the delicately balanced world of a remote monastery run by a renegade nun (Cate Blanchett).

After being abducted by police, an unnamed Aboriginal boy (Aswan Reid) is delivered to a monastery where Sister Eileen (Blanchett) oversees a shelter for abandoned children. The monastery comes into possession of a sacred relic which captivates the boy. But his Indigenous spirituality clashes with Sister Eileen’s teachings and his enigmatic powers - forcing her to make a choice: uphold tradition or embrace what comes next…

With its startling images of nature and a haunting score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, The New Boy evokes Australia’s fraught colonial legacy through the story of one very special child.

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