Indigenous Culture &
Connection to Land

In The New Boy (2023), the connection between Indigenous Australians and their land is central to the story. For Aboriginal people, the land holds traditional healing powers, with practices like bush medicine and spiritual ceremonies used to heal both physical and spiritual wounds (AIATSIS, 2021).

The New Boy shows this connection to nature using the titular New Boy’s mystical healing powers, very loosely based on “healing powers” used by Indigenous Australians. These powers symbolise the deep connection the New Boy has to the land, using these powers to heal snake bites and burns - injuries often associated with the wilds of Australia, showing that the New Boy has experience and a connection to the land.

The use of the powers that are associated with his connection being used for healing create a gentle and personal atmosphere though the use of the New Boy's hand as a symbol of intentionality, along with the warm tones of the healing light creating a sense of energy. The encounter the New Boy has with his healing powers suggest that Indigneous Australians have a deep and intentional connection to their cultural and spiritual practices.

The film also shows how attached the New Boy is to nature without the use of his powers, as in the film the new boy is seen hugging a tree, an inanimate object. This alludes to the idea that the New Boy - and Indigenous people by extension - care deeply for all elements of nature and see them as something to be protected and cherished.