User reviews

I just watched this film, and I enjoyed it so much I rushed here to give it my rating - My decided rating usually reflects the overall IMDb score. Therefore, I was surprised to find a 5.5 score. However, I saw that one person gave Funny Boy a 1-star rating based on the fact the language spoken was incorrect. Seriously? This film does not bill itself as a true story; it is a work of fiction set in a location and period of historical significance. But even so, no mature person rates a film based on one flaw. What about cinematography, the plot, the dialogue, the acting, etc. All these things should inform a person's score. Therefore, this film deserves a far better score than what it presently has.

Funny boy is something most Sri Lankan teenagers (who grew up in the late 80s and 90s ) can relate to. We lived most of our lives through a devastating civil war for over a decade. We suppressed so much during this time. Watching the main character struggle with expressing himself is so relatable it hurts! As much as I love Nimmi Harasgama, I think Brandon Ingram, Rehan Mudannayake and Aaarush Nand are definitely divas to watch out for!

I understand the controversy surrounding the casting, but as a Sri Lankan I stand by the artist's decision. It is a beautiful story Deepa Mehta wanted to share with us, and we need to respect the creative team and their decisions.

I wish the entire cast and crew the very best at the upcoming Academy awards! YOU GUYS HAVE MY VOTES! ( this includes my 10,000 other personalities.)

keep slaaaying!

Arjun is Tamil boy who realises he's gay in a country that criminalises people like him. The movie follows his life from childhood to young manhood, set in Sri Lanka during the ethnic war that resulted in somewhere between 100,000 and 150,000 deaths, and one million Tamils migrating to India, Canada, and other countries. The story is one damn thing after another. The messiness, almost incoherence of the script, mimics this, but also distances us from the characters, who become objects moved around by events that they don't and can't control. Arjun's relationship with Shean doesn't free either of them, it's at best a brief time of mutual joy which can't resist the politics surrounding it. The acting is uniformly very good, helping us Westerners understand a culture so different and yet oddly similar to our own. I get the impression that Mehta had a clear vision of what she wanted, and it wasn't a neatly structured plot tied up with a neat bow of a resolution. I think she also wanted to show how avoiding politics is no defence. The movie was engaging despite itself, the kind that tosses up half-recalled scenes when you least expect them. Worth watching, even if only to get a vague notion of what it's like to live in a different society than your own. I read a number of attacks on this movie, all of which focused on two points, and which all betrayed that the critics had political axes to grind. Pity.

You like it or hate it... the director is an international fame and loved her other works esp Water which was also nominated for Oscar ....this movie is based on a book by Shyam Selvadurai.. it is a coming-of-age story of a boy in 1970s Sri Lanka amidst uprisings, tensions between Tamils and Sinhalese, ethnic riots... although, author stated that it is not really his biography but it does appear as his personal narrative when I read about him.. but disappointed with the middle-of-the-road and 1980s style direction, performances are average too... a multitask watch...

After reading all the below reviews it seems that Tamilians got offended just because of the language spoken in the movie. Are you guys really a viewer or trollers?

I plead ignorance to what happened in Sri Lanka, prior to watching this movie. I understand if people are disappointed if it wasn't Tamil people playing the parts. But I'm SO glad I ignored 95% of the reviews on here. This is a good movie. People are rating it so poorly because of politics (as I say, they may have a point but that's not *my* point).

I'm confident the majority of 1 star reviews are written by a few people with multiple accounts. It's a shame, as if I had listened to them - and avoided the movie, I wouldn't have learned what happened. I am now (because of this movie) more aware and have since read up on what happened. That wouldn't have happened without this movie.

But anyway! I was gutted when this ended, and it made me feel plenty of emotions. I got angry, I got upset when I related to the little gay boy so much, I laughed at the brazenness of the sparring kids, and I mourned what happened between the two people.

If like me you're looking for a movie that will make you feel and make you think - I'd definitely recommend Funny Boy.

Many aspects of this film are fascinating, like the scenery and location shots. Cannot speak to the 'Tamil' voice/accent issue which is of concern to many. I did read that there has been a lot of voice dubbing which would explain why, at times, the spoken English(unsubtitled) is difficult to understand. The meat market scene is presented without appropriate context. I found the scenes where the main character was jumped back and forth in age to be annoying rather that developmental. However, the film does seem to capture well the trauma of being caught up in ethnic/religious disputes.

I want to deal with one of the criticisms of the film right away. I do not speak any of the languages of the sub continent at all and wouldn't recognise the difference between Sinhalese or Tamil to save my life. Therefore the poor-quality spoken dialogue from the non-Tamil actors playing members of that ethnic group was something I obviously never picked up on. OK, I'd be furious if I was watching a German film and, say, Swedish people were speaking poor German and pretending to be that nationality. But as I was in no position to pick up on this here, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the film.

I always enjoy films that combine personal dramas and stories with sweeping political and societal events. Here we had them all in spades. Family dynamics, prejudices in both the domestic sphere and the national arena, differing viewpoints on how to deal with inter-community strife.

Within a country whose idyllic existence is slowly being rent apart by ethnic tensions, a wealthy family lives these problems in microcosm. The plot outline on IMDB contains many spoilers but I am not going to be so crass. The film concentrates on two periods, first of all in 1974 when Arjie is a child interested in dressing up as a girl with a protective auntie encouraging him and his parents attempting to get him to "man up". We see the prejudices that occurred even then between Sinhalese and Tamils. And Aunty Radha forced to depart for Canada because of them.

Then we follow Arjie in his teenage years when prejudice is turning into hatred between communities. He is caught up in this in both his love life and with his family whose patriarch wrongly thought their position in society would protect them.

It's a part of history I knew about, but not in detail. I have looked it up since and can see that, although there is not a clear political context in the film, the major issues and events seem to be true. I was mesmerised throughout and fascinated by both the wider and the personal stories. I'm so glad I saw this film.

Prolific Indian filmmaker Deepa Mehta's latest achievement is a tender coming of age gay story with a strong political backdrop. Set in late 70's-early 80's it depicts the horrors of racial prejudice against members of a Tamil community in the awakening of the civil war in Sri Lanka. The narrative focuses on the development and sexual arise of a young boy, who since his early ages demonstrates his interest in the feminine universe, as well as a courageous expressiveness of his true personality. As a kid he battled bullying in school and prejudice at home, while his parents are engaged in the political conflicts; as a young man he discovered the fascination of American/British pop culture, while developing his first romance with a lonely richer boy; As the crisis intensifies and most of his community are threatened and attacked, they plan a escape to Canada, interfering somehow in the boy's sudden process of figuring out his identity and place in the world. The director unveils social, political, gender and cultural issues seen through Arjie's boyhood and varied experiences with a world he doesn't belong to. It's only at the moments of intimacy and entertainment provided by his encounters with his boyfriend, and the acceptance found on his aunt's approach that bring him a sense of ease. Canada's Official entry for the Best International Film at the 2021 Oscars, Mehta composes an affecting, lively and free-spirited, historically accurate and family-friendly LGBTQ tale.

After some time i managed to watch this film, and i must confess, iam really shocked how a movie like this, which got so many financial support can turn out so pretty bad.

1. The tamil spoken was soo cringeworthy, it was really butchered and every time they said something in tamil, a part of me died inside. I was really wondering, why they were not able to hire a native speaker to rehearse the dialogues in a proper manner.

2. The movie was in certain parts really slow, and i had a hard time to follow the story line. Sometimes i also had the impression, that the director kind of tried to please the ,,white intellectual audience" with references to political matters which diminished the plight of tamils .The scenes from the progroms shown in the movie didnt do any justice to the real historic incidents and also the choose of the actors, who nearly all were fair and had north indian looks was questionable. This film also had many plotholes, making the story unbelievable.

It appeared to me after watching this film, that the director( who is of punjabi origin) wasnt interested in producing a film with the most realistic depiction of the historic events, (which displaced nearly several 100000 people), but wanted to push her own career with choosing a topic which is not really present in todays cinema and many people do not know much about. So for example a white uninformed audience would be really impressed by the setting, the upper class household and the love story between the two protagonists, but for the rest especially the ones who were affected by this dark chapter of ,,sri lankan" history its a terrible depiction of their history.

The movie is one of the few gems of 2020. The acting especially of Arjie and his parents was both subtle and left an impression. I understand this movies casting and language have had issues but as a movie it is wonderful.

I've read the Sinhalese translation of the novel long time ago and I have the original book in my list of books to be purchased because I want to read the exact words Mr. Shyam used. This movie, I never expected to watch before that.

First, I like to give credit for the actors who have done their best. Specially I really enjoyed how Agam Darshi, Nimmi Harasgama, Shivantha Wijesinha, Brandon Ingram and Rehan Mudannayake did their magic.

Its direction is balanced enough as I saw but to be honest, I can't say. It's a very troubled era for all the sri lankans but even now, I don't think the problem is solved permanently. Let's hand it over to history.

I enjoyed every minute of the movie very much.

"As an a young adult, Arjie (Ingram) begins to come to term with his queerness through a romance with a fellow student Shehan (Mudannayake), who is Sinhalese, their illicit love affair is cocooned by their up-middle class privileges, even when Arjie's family finds out their tryst, they have more imperative decisions to make (like acting immediately to save their own skins) than telling off a gay son. Eventually, FUNNY BOY lands its feet on a bland note, all we are presented is a mediocre Bildungsroman story (albeit good-natured) scarred by the political turmoil on which Mehta opts not to expound, as if the film's selfless aim is to whet our interest to Selvadurai's novel."

read my full review on my blog: Cinema Omnivore, thanks.

It is very clear the reviews here are a targeted attack on this film. For any reasonable person coming here, do not trust 1 star reviews. It is a tactic. And all the more reason to see and support this film.

A love story for turbulent times. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It was a gentle film, Beautifully photographed, well acted and gave one a clear picture of how it must've been at that time. The love stories were all excellent and evocative.

This is a movie set mostly in Colombo in the 70's and early 80's. It is about sexual awakening and sexuality, racial prejudice and violence, but above all, it is a about forbidden love that crosses racial boundaries. Full marks to the director, producer and script writers who successfully weave a complex story which will appeal to a wide audience, not just a Sri Lankan one. Surely, this has to be a strong contender at the academy awards. Little Arjie played by Arush Nand is absolutely delightful. There are strong performances by Agam Darshi as the streetwise aunt Radha who loves and nurtures little Arjie, and Nimmi Harasgama as a typical Sri Lankan mum who is burdened with societal pressures and expectations. The older Arjie played by Brandon Ingram is somewhat unconvincing, but overall, the movie is highly recommended.

As someone who lived in Colombo during the 60's and 70's when ethnic problems were starting to get serious, I can understand only too well the kind of thinking that prompts certain viewers to give this movie a zero or 1 rating. Please don't be put off by such comments, it is well worth viewing.

As for those who complain about casting non-Tamils in Tamil roles or the lack of authenticity of spoken Tamil, I wonder how upset they would be if they were to learn that Irish actor and Oscar winner Liam Neeson played German industrialist Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, or that Oscar nominee Marlon Brando who is of German, Dutch, English and Irish ancestry played Sicilian Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather! They'd be absolutely livid! Besides, is there a good pool of Sri Lankan Tamil actors who could fill these roles? Maybe there is, then again maybe not. Regardless, Deepa Mehta and Shyam Selvadurai have brought us a gem.

Film really did justice to an incredible book that touches on several important issues.

Hope it will be a real contender at the Oscars.

So many 1 star reviews from people who have not even watched the film. Don't go by these empty-handed reviewers: please watch the film before passing judgment. The film is a perfect balance of personal and political. The cinematography and acting is brilliantly executed. For those curious about the controversy, I encourage you to look up for yourself, interviews conducted with the writer himself on the topic (Shyam Selvadurai). He is from a mixed race household (Sinhalese/Tamil), and his intent with the film was to show *his own story* of a young boy's sexual awakening in Sri Lanka that coincided with the start of a long civil war. For people to try and manipulate his story to serve their political agenda is utterly absurd!

It is a shame that this gorgeous film is getting unfair flack in the media from particular fringe groups who are interested in only stirring divisiveness and conflict, which is contrary to the spirit and vision of this beautiful film; one of South Asian solidarity and togetherness.

I am so happy and pleased and proud to see a movie like this filmed in Sri Lanka and on Netflix!!! I hope this film starts conversations and I hope and pray for that change and justice come to the LGBT community in Sri Lanka. I hate racism and homophobia so much.

This film keeps no secrets. This is the life of Arjie, a young, gay fly-on-the-wallpaper finding himself during the heat of race war.

It feels like watching a theater production or a documentary: taking a very neutral perspective to each character, holding the audience at a distance. It's less of a story of "sexual awakening," more of a picture of the Sri Lanka civil war and the hostilities between Sinhalese and Tamil people. Homosexuality on the back burner, miscegenation up front. Most of the conflict is driven by the tragedy of love across racial divides-- his aunt, his mother, and himself.

The acting was great, especially the children and Shehan (Mannayake), as well as the blocking in each scene. I really loved the dual portrayal of Arjie as a young man and a little boy: a powerful framing showing how his older self reflects on past moments and how his inner child is affected by the present, and this was executed really well. The film was well written, drawing connections to literary giants such as Vidal, Wilde, and the book A Tale Of Two Cities. The question at the heart of the movie is: What place is there for love in a world of hatred? Can this desire be a betrayal of one's family and community?

The use of color was beautiful; the saturated grading emphasized the richness of the tropics. Green (tropical plants, Shehan's room) and red (Radha's boa and scarf) are both very evocative. The film is full of beautiful images, but it oft pursues that beauty over emotional intimacy. For example, wide shots during close conversations that make it difficult to tell who's saying what. Or, the first emotionally rich scene between Shehan and Arjie: the actors' faces are cast in the shadow of silhouette, when it would have been better to show us the emotional interplay on the characters' faces. Close-ups were also used on some characters during moments lacking in emotion.

The editing was sometimes incredible and powerful, and sometimes jarring jump cuts, *especially between scenes* (hence my comparison to theater). I loved the sweeping shots that give you a perspective of the character and their environment, but sometimes camera movement felt out-of-place, such as during a conversation when the uneven, handheld movement of the camera drew me away from the characters.

I would have liked to see more of Akka (Arjie's mother) and her relationship with her son and her community; I felt her character was lacking in deference to related conflicts with Arjie, his father, and Jegan, despite being so very in the midst of it all.

One great weakness is that many have mentioned how the Tamil characters were not Tamil actors or native speakers. It would have been a better movie for that, as you can sometimes feel the microseconds pause as an actor says something in translation. This is a movie made for Western audiences; as a Western audiencemember, I enjoyed it. I added an extra star to account for the homophobic ratings, as I find it unfortunate that art cannot be enjoyed for the sake of art.

Child actors are child actors and will always be hit or miss. If you can get past the, to be honest, less-than-great child acting at the beginning, the film is enjoyable if a bit slow at times.

Beautiful soundtrack, lovely scenery and a story that, while it is not neatly resolved, is worth following.