"The Loneliest Boy in the World" - Film Review
The Loneliest Boy in the World puts a campy horror spin on one of life’s greatest struggles: making friends. Oliver (Max Harwood) grew up extremely isolated, with his mother (Carol Anne Watts) as his only company. When she passed away a year ago, Oliver was left in a sticky situation. Without a parent or guardian to care for him, Oliver must prove that he is capable of providing for himself or he will be sent to a mental institution. One of the benchmarks for proving that he is able to continue to live alone is whether or not he has friends and a support system. OIiver stumbles upon a funeral for a well-loved boy, Mitch (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), and hatches a plan to create a new friend.
The style of The Loneliest Boy in the World is a sort of pastel, macabre wonderland. It’s a strange combination of candy-colored, mid-century modern decor drenched in blood. The audience is never told the exact year this film is taking place, and the set design makes it difficult to pinpoint which decade Oliver is living in. The television sets, wallpaper, and furniture of Oliver’s home scream ‘60s, but the flamboyant pink colors of everything from his car to the couch speak to a more modern sensibility.
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Ultimately, the time period doesn’t matter because of the film’s eternal theme of loneliness. A lack of meaningful relationships can cause anyone to feel isolated, and Oliver’s desire for human connection is universal. Humans need one another to make it through life, yet connection is often difficult. Especially now, after almost three years of Covid-induced isolation, when the chasm between people feels especially daunting.
The script itself belongs in the Brat Pack era of teen films, by way of Tim Burton. Many of the jokes are vague allusions to the fact that all of Oliver’s friends are dead, made by characters who don’t know the fate of Oliver’s zombie pals. They aren’t laugh-out-loud comedic moments, nor do they need to be to get the film’s point across. In his own strange way, Oliver is creating a family to fill the void of his loss. It’s grief personified through a grave-robbing chosen family.
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The retro set, the musical score, and the soundtrack really play up the inherent sadness of the script. Because of society’s current obsession with ’80s movies, The Loneliest Boy in the World radiates nostalgia. There’s something eternally sad about longing for a way of life that’s no longer possible, whether it’s because of times changing or the loss of someone important. The classically modern style is the perfect playground for this magical and realistic tale of grief.
Ultimately, The Loneliest Boy in the World is restrained. It’s disappointing that so much potential is evident in the film’s concept and performances, but that letdown is not enough to ruin the ride. The Loneliest Boy in the World was made for all the weirdos who never fit in when they were in high school. It’s a story that has been told many times over, to varying degrees of success. While The Loneliest Boy in the World may not have mastered the juggling act of horror, comedy, and coming of age, it certainly paves a path of its own.
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