Film

Storm Boy

Name: Storm Boy
Genre: Drama, Family
Released: 1977
Cast: Greg Rowe, Peter Cummins, David Gulpilil, Judy Dick, Tony Allison

Other titles called Storm Boy: the 2019 film.

Drama
Slow-burning

A 1977 Australian gem about a solitary boy and an Aboriginal man who bond over orphaned pelicans in the vast coastal wilderness. Deeply gentle and alive to landscape, it moves at the pace of tides and seasons rather than plot. For anyone who loves quiet stories about connection, nature as character, and the particular loneliness of childhood.

TMDb rating

3.5

If you liked this

My Brilliant Career1979

Another Australian film with a restless protagonist finding themselves against sweeping landscapes. Judy Davis's performance crackles with intelligence and refusal. A spiritual sibling to Storm Boy's exploration of freedom and solitude.

But It's driven by character conflict and social tension rather than the meditative calm of Storm Boy. The pace is considerably brisker and the mood far less tender.

Kes1970

A boy and a hawk form an unlikely bond in working-class England. Like Storm Boy, it finds profound emotion in the connection between a lonely young person and an animal, with landscapes that feel lived-in rather than scenic.

But Darker than Storm Boy. The environment is bleak industrial moorland, and the story ultimately carries a weight of social realism that can feel crushing.

The Railway Children1970

Children in rural England discover independence and friendship in a landscape that becomes increasingly important to the story. That same quality of childhood wonder, and a world where nature offers both refuge and adventure.

But More explicitly plotted and cheerful. It's a family film in the traditional sense—more narrative drive, less meditative stillness.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Storm Boy

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Walkabout1971

Both centre a cross-cultural friendship formed in Australian landscape as a kind of spiritual refuge, and both understand that connection to come from silence and observation rather than dialogue.

A girl and boy become lost in the Australian Outback with an Aboriginal boy. Like Storm Boy, it's about connection forged in wilderness between people from different worlds, where nature is both beautiful and indifferent. Visually extraordinary and emotionally profound.

But More psychologically complex and morally troubling than Storm Boy. The ending carries a real sting of loss that doesn't console. It's also more overtly sexual—not explicit, but very aware of adolescent stirring.

Picnic at Hanging Rock1975

Australian mystery set in stunning landscape. Like Storm Boy, it prizes atmosphere and visual storytelling over exposition. Both films trust viewers to sit with uncertainty and mood rather than neat resolution.

But Genuinely unsettling and ambiguous. If you want clear answers and comfort, this will frustrate. The mystery is never solved and the tone is eerie.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert1994

Another Australian landscape film, where the Outback becomes a character. Characters searching for connection and meaning against vast, transformative scenery. Visually sumptuous and emotionally honest.

But Wildly different in tone—campy, funny, frequently outrageous. If you want quiet and restraint, this is the opposite.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert poster

Stand by Me1986

Childhood friendship and loss set in a landscape that protects and defines the characters. Nostalgic but not sentimental; deeply felt without being manipulative. The same emotional register as Storm Boy.

But American 1950s rather than Australian coastal wilderness. More plot-driven. The friendship feels less spiritual and more tied to coming-of-age incident.

The Black Stallion1979

A boy and a horse form a wordless, almost spiritual bond. Patient storytelling that lets you simply watch relationship develop. Scores of beautiful silence and natural spaces.

But More conventionally adventurous and less introspective. It's about bonding through action and shared experience rather than quiet companionship and shared solitude.

Mud2013

Boys and landscape, river and refuge. Explores how vulnerable young people attach to mentors and escape through natural spaces. Comes from a similar emotional place to Storm Boy's gentle melancholy.

But Contemporary American South rather than 1970s Australia. More narrative momentum and darker undercurrents. The tone is more suspenseful and less transcendent.

The Last Wave1977

Australian film released the same year, features Aboriginal culture prominently, and carries the same interest in landscape and the spiritual. Hypnotic and strange, with genuine ambition.

But A psychological thriller that becomes genuinely unsettling and surreal. If you're after tranquility, this is the opposite. The mood is ominous, the ending disturbing.

Stalker1979

Both films understand that the deepest human connection is often wordless, and both use vast, beautiful spaces as the real co-star. Both trust audiences to find meaning in what is *not* said or resolved.

A Soviet science-fiction film about a man guiding two people toward a mysterious room. Absolutely silent for long stretches. Shot through with spiritual longing and the idea that journey matters more than destination. A meditation on desire and companionship.

But 163 minutes long, deliberately slow, in a different language. No conventional plot. If you need momentum or clear meaning, this will test your patience severely. It is quietness as structure, not as pause.

Spirited Away2001

Both understand childhood friendship across difference as a kind of spiritual awakening, and both centre the idea that growing up means learning to see truly, with respect, across the boundary between human and other.

Animated film about a girl who forms bonds with strange creatures in a magical landscape. Like Storm Boy, it's fundamentally about a young person finding companionship outside the normal world, with nature and environment as spiritual force. Visually ravishing and deeply felt.

But Japanese animation rather than live-action 1970s realism. Fantastical rather than naturalistic. If you want authenticity-as-setting rather than magical-as-setting, the register will feel wrong.