Angry Boys
2011
Original language: English
- drama
- comedy
The story
Angry Boys is an Australian television mockumentary series written by and starring Chris Lilley. Continuing the mockumentary style of his previous series, the show explores the issues faced by young males in the 21st century – their influences, their pressures, their dreams and ambitions. In Angry Boys, Lilley plays multiple characters: S.mouse, an American rapper; Jen, a manipulative Japanese mother; Blake Oakfield, a champion surfer; Ruth "Gran" Sims, a guard at a juvenile detention facility; and her grandchildren, South Australian twins Daniel and Nathan Sims. The series is a co-production between the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and US cable channel HBO, with a pre-sale to BBC Three in the United Kingdom. Filmed in Melbourne, Los Angeles and Tokyo, Angry Boys premièred on 11 May 2011 at 9:00 pm on ABC1.
What it’s like
Bright, flat Australian daylight and fluorescent-lit interiors give this mockumentary a plain, documentary-like look, with characters speaking straight to camera in static interview setups that let each performance sit in the frame. Scenes shift between sun-bleached coastal suburbs, a hazy Los Angeles and the saturated neon of Tokyo, so the palette moves from dusty warmth to glossy, overlit urban night. The sound is mostly talk, sharp editing and pop and hip-hop cues, with comic pauses doing as much work as the lines. The rhythm is brisk and episodic, and the tone is satirical and deadpan, mocking bravado and cluelessness while holding a sincere interest in young men's pressures and loyalties. Intensity is moderate: frequent profanity, crude humour, sexual innuendo, and some scuffles and tension in detention-centre scenes, but nothing graphic or gory, and the cringe often lands harder than any violence. It suits a late-night laugh or a streaming binge with friends, and it's for viewers who enjoy awkward, character-driven comedy and sharp satire of masculinity and performance.
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