Kauwboy

Jojo is a ten year old Dutch boy that lives with his father, who is frequently absent due to work obligations. According to Jojo, his mother–a country singer– is on tour. His father doesn’t seem to be going through the best time of his life, and Jojo goes back and forth from a premature everyday independence to a need for comfort. Sometimes he has his mother’s songs, and other times his victories with his water polo school team. And a girl in his class who pops up her chewing gum. On top of that, Jojo finds a jackdaw (a particular crow species) and adopts it. With the aid of a smart editing, this animal is probably the best winged actor in cinema history. Boudewijn Koole’s film has already won an award in the latest Berlin Film Festival for best first film. Surely the reasons for this prize are connected to its honest and fluid narrative, which doesn’t get frightened by conflict or deep sadness. Kauwboy is, thus, a film with a special kind of tenderness and emotion, and a strongly humanistic view.