Boy Wonder, the urban psychological thriller, is a winner of 15 national and international awards, some of which include the Best Feature Film and the Audience Awards at the 2011 Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival, Best Feature at the 2011 Crystal Palace International Film Festival, the 2011 Vail Film Festival and the 2011 Hardacre Film Festival.

The movie makes its debut to DVD on November 8, 2011. Roger Ebert gives this Film 3 ½ stars out of 4, saying, “In a genre populated with formulas and dreck, Boy Wonder is an ambitious exception, well-made, drawing us in… dramatized in the style of dark graphic novels… works insistently on an emotional level.”

The film simultaneously packs riveting action and a strong sense of emotional connection. Sean Donovan is a child when he witnesses the murder of his mother. From that moment on, he exhibits signs of unresponsiveness and isolation. Sean is then left to be brought up by his alcoholic and abusive father.

Sean, played by Caleb Steinmeyer, who also appears in HBO’s True Blood, is an austere boy who takes pleasure in reading and classical music. When asked why the director used classical music, he replied, “I came up with this idea that this would be a connection for Sean and his mom.

People see classical music as soothing, but for Sean it reminded him of violence in the house, and violence put upon his mom. It was used as a setup for the aggressive memories in Sean’s head.” When classical music is played during the movie, it cuts to the horrible incident that haunts Sean’s life.

Another reason that classical music fits so well with the movie is that it is parallel with its flow. Most classical music begins slowly and quietly, building up a crescendo, where sounds come to a collision, making for an intense impact at the end. In terms of the film, this is where Sean’s dual personalities collide.

Morrissey said, “Definitely seeing Sean put the war paint on his face for the first time, when it felt like 150 degrees down on the train platform, but seeing this character do that on the monitor was wild. It was very cool to be able to see this character that I made up, come to life.”

This is one scene that shows Sean’s nocturnal persona. From all the rage that constantly consumes him, Sean creates a vigilante that rises out of the chaos inside his head. To Morrissey, the movie is all about perception and the way in which the viewer regards Sean’s character. Sean doesn’t do anything that is too heroic.

Sure, he kills a few bad people who deserve it, but he also attacks a student for being obnoxious, possibly to the point of dying. Does he even have the authority to kill a pimp? This, too, is debatable. Although the beating is uncalled for, some with different sensitivities may think differently, which brings questions of morality into the picture.

The reason Morrissey created this sense of distorted perception is because he wanted to create discussion regarding what is right and wrong. Check out the movie, and decide whether Sean’s actions should be considered  just or immoral.

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About the author

Maynor Guzman
Is a senior at Baruch College majoring in Marketing with a big interest in Music and technology. In my free time I enjoy writing music and expressing my creativity.