TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2024 REVIEW! In Boong, Lakshmipriya Devi opens with a sequence that sparkles with originality and humor. The titular Boong (Gugun Kipgen) uses his trusty slingshot to shoot the letters off his school’s entryway sign, thereby spelling a derogatory descriptor of the school. Later, he is called upon to recite a poem, and he uses Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” before a teacher catches on and googles the lyrics. These events mean Boong’s expelled from school, and he is forced to go to another, one that is decidedly more posh and less welcoming to certain ethnicities.
The geopolitical context of this narrative is essential to understanding the dynamics in the film. The setting is the Indian state of Manipur, which is bordered by Myanmar. There’s intense ethnic and cultural conflict in the region, and Boong’s father is suspected of having crossed the border to Myanmar, leaving his mother and son with nothing but trinkets (including a framed photo of Madonna) to remember him by. His mother Mandakini (Bala Hijam Ningthoujam) is keeping her household together as best she can, but a boy’s father is irreplaceable. Why did he leave, and what is he doing in Myanmar? Boong is determined to find out, and his loyal friend Raju (Angom Sanamatum) tags along for support.
“…events mean Boong’s expelled from school, and he is forced to go to another, one that is decidedly more posh…”
Boong is a movie bursting at the seams with tenderness. For all of the mischief Boong and his friends get into, it comes from a good place. It’s par for the course in a film centered around young children, but one wishes the corny moments were toned down a bit (one sequence with flashbacks is particularly egregious). The sobering reality of the situation hits hard toward the conclusion, rendering much of the early levity ineffective. Still, only an absolute Scrooge wouldn’t appreciate the charm that Boong and Raju bring to bear in their quest.
They are intensely likable kids, but as is very often the case with films about and starring children, their inexperience shows. It’s not a knock on them necessarily, but it makes one appreciate the performances that more seasoned actors give in comparison. The years of work make a difference, and in all but the rarest occasions the varying levels of performing ability are noticeable. An increased emphasis on the adults in the story might have worked wonders to balance this out.
Boong will go far for those craving a touching story about childhood resilience in the face of instability at home and in the community. Devi shines a light on a region of the world many in the West are ignorant of, and she deserves boatloads of credit for that. A brief epilogue in the credits lets us know that a conflict broke out in the area immediately after filming, adding a degree of poignancy to what we’ve just seen.
Boong screened at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
"…touching..."
