Boxes

Liam is nineteen, fresh out of high school, and enjoying a life of parties and pills. He lives with his grandmother. He keeps her at an arm’s length, and so, when she has a sudden stroke, he ignores her call, and doesn’t find out until he reads a text message sent from Wellington Hospital. He rushes to the hospital, in the middle of the night, drunk and hopped up on cheap stimulants. He is greeted by a closed door, and a nurse who tells him he has to wait to see his grandma. Thus, Liam spends a night and a morning in the hospital, contemplating his decisions, while befriending a young boy who is waiting for news of his mother. A social-realist drama, Boxes is a story about regret, relationships, and the widespread existence of small tragedies.

Directed by Jack Barrowman, Boxes leans on a strong ensemble — Kieran Charnock, Hilary Norris, Georgia Pringle — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 2017.