Most of the movie takes place on small beach of vacation cabins on the South Australia coast, but it begins in the vast, featureless spaces of the Australian Outback, the location of this boys town run by nuns. One feature of the way the orphanage operates, boys are recognized as a group during the month of their birthday, so these 4 boys are known as the "December Boys." This December they get a special treat because a donation has been made, and the 4 of them are being sent "on holiday" to stay with a family during the Christmas break on this tidy little beach community. (Remember Christmas in Australia is summertime.)
Having mostly experienced life in the Outback ("when it rains a lot and floods we can go fishing.") these 4 boys are confronted with all kinds of surprises in the small coastal community. There is the childless married lady who comes out of the water, topless, to greet the boys. (One of them faints.) There is the precocious teenage girl who has a secret hideaway among the rocks that she calls her Stonehenge, and hints that aliens may have constructed it, although it looks like centuries of Ocean sculpting. And there is the old fisherman fishing for Henry ("Is that a person, or a type of fish?"), the old, large fish that visits the bay.
The movie is narrated in modern time by the adult character we come to know as Misty. Jusdging from Misty's current age, the story must have been set in the late 1950s or the 1960s.
Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame is Maps, because he has birthmarks on his chest that looks like maps. Lee Cormie is Misty who appears to be about 12 in the movie. Christian Byers is Sparks, and James Fraser is Spit because his dad flew a Spitfire. The teenage girl is cute Teresa Palmer as Lucy.
Sullivan Stapleton is Fearless, married to Victoria Hill as Teresa. They can't have children so begin talking about adopting one of the 4 boys. Misty overhears this and much of the last half of the movie has the boys in silent competition to see who might be chosen. This is a very big deal because it was very hard for any of these boys to be adopted.
A very nice, little movie, it has a realistic feel and is a coming of age experience for the 4 boys.
SPOILERS: Maps is the oldest of the boys, and often takes a "big brother" role. He is very naive in the ways of the world, and especially with girls. Lucy recognizes that and becomes his "teacher", since she has affection for him. She becomes his "first" in her hideaway. Towards the end of the movie, the childless couple announce they have chosen Misty to adopt, and the three of them watch as the other 3 boys wander away. Misty realizes that his family really is the group of 4 December Boys, and he affectionately tells the young couple thanks for choosing him, but he really belongs with the family he already has.
The movie ends in modern time, and we see Max Cullen as the Narrator and the Adult Misty. We learn that Maps, after his experience with Lucy, and having a vision underwater while saving Misty, actually became a Priest. All 3 surviving December Boys met at the seaside getaway with Maps' ashes, so they could be scattered on that hillside where the 4 of them had the bonding experience years earlier. (Note: It is not consistent with Roman Catholic practice to scatter ashes, especially for a Priest.)
Having mostly experienced life in the Outback ("when it rains a lot and floods we can go fishing.") these 4 boys are confronted with all kinds of surprises in the small coastal community. There is the childless married lady who comes out of the water, topless, to greet the boys. (One of them faints.) There is the precocious teenage girl who has a secret hideaway among the rocks that she calls her Stonehenge, and hints that aliens may have constructed it, although it looks like centuries of Ocean sculpting. And there is the old fisherman fishing for Henry ("Is that a person, or a type of fish?"), the old, large fish that visits the bay.
The movie is narrated in modern time by the adult character we come to know as Misty. Jusdging from Misty's current age, the story must have been set in the late 1950s or the 1960s.
Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame is Maps, because he has birthmarks on his chest that looks like maps. Lee Cormie is Misty who appears to be about 12 in the movie. Christian Byers is Sparks, and James Fraser is Spit because his dad flew a Spitfire. The teenage girl is cute Teresa Palmer as Lucy.
Sullivan Stapleton is Fearless, married to Victoria Hill as Teresa. They can't have children so begin talking about adopting one of the 4 boys. Misty overhears this and much of the last half of the movie has the boys in silent competition to see who might be chosen. This is a very big deal because it was very hard for any of these boys to be adopted.
A very nice, little movie, it has a realistic feel and is a coming of age experience for the 4 boys.
SPOILERS: Maps is the oldest of the boys, and often takes a "big brother" role. He is very naive in the ways of the world, and especially with girls. Lucy recognizes that and becomes his "teacher", since she has affection for him. She becomes his "first" in her hideaway. Towards the end of the movie, the childless couple announce they have chosen Misty to adopt, and the three of them watch as the other 3 boys wander away. Misty realizes that his family really is the group of 4 December Boys, and he affectionately tells the young couple thanks for choosing him, but he really belongs with the family he already has.
The movie ends in modern time, and we see Max Cullen as the Narrator and the Adult Misty. We learn that Maps, after his experience with Lucy, and having a vision underwater while saving Misty, actually became a Priest. All 3 surviving December Boys met at the seaside getaway with Maps' ashes, so they could be scattered on that hillside where the 4 of them had the bonding experience years earlier. (Note: It is not consistent with Roman Catholic practice to scatter ashes, especially for a Priest.)