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Boost

Name: Boost
Director: Darren Curtis
Released: 2017
Duration: 93 min

Representation Score

5.6/10

Fair

2017

Director

Darren Curtis

Runtime

93 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Boost succeeds as a nuanced exploration of the immigrant experience and urban socio-economic pressures. By centering Hakeem and A-Mac, the film moves beyond including someone from a minority group without giving them real depth to offer a meaningful look at life on the margins. However, the film's scope appears narrow, focusing heavily on male camaraderie. This results in a lack of visible representation for LGBTQ+ identities and disability, leaving those narrative dimensions unexplored. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its ability to challenge conventional coming-of-age clichés by replacing innocence with the systemic realities of immigrant life.

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Category Breakdown

Does Boost have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film focuses on traditional masculine social structures and teenage boyhood. There are no queer-coded characters or non-straight identities represented.

How does Boost portray gender?

Fair

The story centers on male camaraderie between Hakeem and A-Mac. Female characters are not mentioned, so the film prioritizes the male experience of adolescence.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Boost?

Good

The film provides high ability to act for characters of color by centering the immigrant experience in Montreal. It disrupts Anglo-centric narratives by focusing on ethnic and socio-economic intersections.

How does Boost represent religion and culture?

Good

The film critiques Western socio-economic structures by framing illegal activities as a result of immigrant struggles. It explores the harsh realities outside traditional middle-class success stories.

Does Boost include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no mention of characters navigating physical, sensory, or neurodivergent disabilities within the available narrative description.

Present on Screen

Centers the immigrant experience in Montreal, providing high ability to act to characters of color.
Offers a nuanced critique of socio-economic structures through the lens of systemic necessity.
Disrupts traditional Anglo-centric coming-of-age narratives by focusing on underrepresented identities.

Limited or Absent

Lacks visible representation of LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight identities.
The narrative focus is heavily centered on male camaraderie, limiting gender diversity.
Provides no evidence of characters navigating physical, sensory, or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Hakeem and A-Mac are like brothers. Together facing immigrant life in Montreal, while 'spotting' cars after school. Boost gives us a glimpse into the awkward adventures of teenage boyhood, then the jolt, when that innocence ends abruptly.

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