Crypto Boy follows Amir, a young man who falls prey to an entrepreneur’s rousing words about financial independence and the allure of cryptocurrency. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.
Story
Amir’s father owns a Mexican restaurant in the Netherlands where he immigrated from Egypt. Amir slacks at his work, botching the food deliveries regularly and instead trying to make money by selling beard oils to teenagers.
When he stumbles upon Roy Wagners giving a rousing speech to youngsters about cryptocurrency and how it can help them gain financial independence, Amir is instantly sold. However, his father is done with his slacking off.
Amir quits the delivery work and his father Omar has to start doing it himself. Amir gets a place at Crypcore Capital, getting a hefty bonus from Roy for getting him an important client. Thereon, he begins his journey at the startup.
Soon, he learns that it was all a scam and along with many other people, he’s been stolen and scammed out his money too. It’s too late, though, as he’s poured the money that his father was saving for his education as well.
He goes to demand his money back from Roy and gets into a physical altercation, but before he can do anything worse, Omar and Amir’s friend Ima save him and take him home. His relationship with his father takes a turn for the better.
Crypto Boy rolls the credits as hope emerges for their money to be returned to them and they get to continue their restaurant because of their friends’ help.
Performances
Sabri Saad El-Hamus plays Omar with great authenticity as his pain, grief, love, frustrations, and longing all come across as so genuine.
Shahine El-Hamus plays the young son Amir, and he does so with great conviction. His performance also feels very genuine and whether it’s anger, repressed emotions, love, hate, or heartbreak, he nails the whole spectrum.
Positives
If one removed the cryptocurrency shenanigans, the film at its heart is about immigrants and the struggles the first generation of immigrants have to go through to survive and raise their children in completely different countries and cultures.
The emotional beats of the film work really work and pair it with a brief runtime, and the drama just works where no one emotion is the overtly dominating one.
It also lampoons the crypto fanboys and also the myth of the genius entrepreneur, or a crypto entrepreneur with integrity. It also clowns on the myth of visionaries in general and shows them to be narcissistic, privileged brats with little to no empathy for the working class.
Negatives
The commentary on the crypto fanatism is not as fleshed out as the film warranted. Also, between the crypto drama and the family drama, there’s a lack of proper drama on either side.
There’s a lack of a meditation on the film’s themes and the commentary lacks bite.
Verdict
Crypto Boy is a great effort that takes jabs and lampoons the cryptocurrency cult while sympathizing with the unsuspecting and hopeful working-class victims who often get trapped by online gurus and grifters.
It’s also a film that depicts the struggles of immigrant families and the effects that life and survival in a foreign land have on the dynamics between the family members and the relationships therein.
Crypto Boy
Director: Shady El-Hamus
Date Created: 2023-10-19 12:30
2.5
Also Read: Crypto Boy summary and ending explained