Cinemazlowski 'Little Boy' strong in faith, but not wavering in quality

Apr 24, 2015

The idea of a little faith being able to change lives, and even the world, goes back as far as the parable of the mustard seed: that even faith as small as a mustard seed can move a mountain. The new movie “Little Boy,” out in theatres today, hinges on that parable but also is a prime example itself of that tale’s principles in action.

Starring the remarkable child actor Jakob Salvati as an 8 year old kid nicknamed “Little Boy” by everyone around him because he’s tiny for his age, the movie depicts his life during WWII in the small town of O’Hare, California, as he struggles with the fact his father got drafted into the war against the Japanese. His father, played by veteran actor Michael Rapaport in a relatively brief but superb performance, had to leave his family and mechanic business behind when his older son, London (David Henrie), was rejected from service due to having flat feet.

With his father away, Little Boy feels alone in the world, as he is bullied by the rest of the kids in town and treated with condescension by adults.  Under the sway of his bitter older brother, who harbors hatred for Japanese people that’s fueled by US propaganda films and news that his father been captured by Japanese soldiers, he throws rocks at the house of an old Japanese townsman named Hashimoto (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), breaking a window.

London does even worse, lobbing a Molotov cocktail at Hashimoto’s house but thankfully missing  the mark. He winds up in jail, while Little Boy winds up getting a lecture from his priest (Tom Wilkinson), who tells him to get rid of his anger and frustration about his father and channel his energy into positive action.

Little Boy believes in the powers of a famous movie magician and wants to believe that he has the power to save his father, so the sympathetic priest gives him a list of good works based on the beatitudes – such as visiting the sick and clothing the naked – and tells him he has to complete the list to truly have his faith give him power. But the priest also adds one extra duty to the list – to befriend Hashimoto.

The heart of “Little Boy” develops from the friendship between the young kid and the older Japanese man, who turns out to be as well-drawn and powerful a character as the immortal Mr. Miyagi of the “Karate Kid” films.  As Little Boy learns life lessons from his accomplishing his list of duties and from the sage older man, the movie delves into a number of surprising directions, which all have a remarkable payoff.

While this is a family film and counts Mark Burnett – the most powerful Christian in Hollywood due to his work on everything from creating “Survivor” to producing the epic miniseries “The Bible” – among its producers, “Little Boy” manages to tackle issues of racism and war in a mature, realistic fashion. Viewers see the world largely through Little Boy’s eyes, but at no point does the film – co-written by Alejandro Montaverde and Pepe Portillo, and directed by Montaverde – ever feel dumbed down, and it will definitely move adult audiences as well. 

Montaverde was also the writer and director of the pro-life drama “Bella,” which was an art-house hit in 2006. That movie drew a lot of support from Catholics and other Christians, but to be honest, its storytelling was not a strong suit beyond its message. “Little Boy” represents an enormous growth on every level, and it shows in the fact that it has drawn acclaimed, recognizable actors like Rapaport, Wilkinson and Emily Watson (as Little Boy’s mom) to the film.

Special praise must be reserved for Eduardo Verastegui, who plays a small part in the film as another Catholic priest but who was a major producer on the film. Having already succeeded with “Bella,” he has dedicated his life to making films that advance Catholic beliefs when possible, but to absolutely never make a movie that violates his faith principles.

Here’s hoping that a bigger mainstream audience finds this movie and supports it, as “Little Boy” is exactly the kind of Christian – and more specifically Catholic – filmmaking we need. Strong in faith but not wavering in quality, respecting every viewer’s intelligence without having to be inappropriate for children, it is quite an achievement and well worth every penny spent on tickets.

Please make sure you support it with your family and friends this weekend. With the crush of summer movies coming up, it needs a strong start and if you don’t support a faith-based, family-friendly movie of this caliber, you have no right to complain that Hollywood doesn’t make more like it.

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