Greta (Lauren Cohan), a young American woman, flees an abusive relationship by taking a nanny job at an enormous mansion in the rural UK. She is barely introduced to Brahms, her charge who is an inanimate doll, before the parents are off to a much needed rest. Greta is left with a list of rules to follow in caring for Brahms, and the occasional company of Malcolm (Rupert Evans), a young local man who delivers the groceries. Brahms is a stand-in for the departed couples son who is said to have died in a fire twenty years ago. As Greta spends time alone in the house with Brahms, strange things start to happen and she becomes convinced that the spirit of the real Brahms inhabits the doll which seems to be animate. The question then becomes is Brahms a good spirit, or a bad one?
The Boy (2016) starts out promising with a great location, strong cast, beautiful cinematography, and what seems to be a serious attempt to tell a decent story, but its obvious really early one where the story is going to go, and even when a twisty element is introduced, which spoils everything the filmmakers set out to accomplish, the film goes exactly where you think it is. Along the way, there are some gaps in the storytelling that keep this movie from ever becoming more than a surface level thriller.
Also, if you are going to make a movie about a creepy doll, have the doll be creepy -- I don't mean over the top Annabelle creepy, but Brahms looks like a 3-D anime drawing, with features that are a bit somber, but well mannered. He's not frightening in the least. Because of this, it's hard to ever think that Greta could ever be in danger from Brahms.
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