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The Drawer Boy (2017) movie poster

Characters & Themes

The Drawer Boy (2017) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 98 mins · English
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Directed by
Arturo Pérez Torres
Starring
Richard Clarkin, Stuart Hughes, Heidi Lynch, Jakob Ehman, Courtney Lancaster, Sochi Fried

In 1972 Ontario, a young Toronto theatre actor named Miles travels to Huron County to stay with Angus and Morgan, two elderly bachelor farmers. He intends to collect stories about rural life to inspire a play, but his arrival profoundly impacts all three men. As Miles attempts to capture their experiences through his art, the boundaries between reality and fiction become blurred, leading to irreversible changes in their lives.

Cast, crew & box office
On this page (7)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (3)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (3)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Every angle
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3 main characters · contains spoilers

The Drawer Boy Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of The Drawer Boy (2017), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Miles (Jakob Ehman)

    A young actor from a Toronto theatre group visiting to research farm life. He becomes the 'drawer boy', mapping and narrating an alternative version of the farmers’ life. His storytelling unsettles Angus’s memory and reveals the fiction behind their shared history. His presence provokes Morgan’s retelling, which threatens to reshape their friendship.

    • 🎭 Young actor
    • 🗺️ Narrative catalyst
    • 🗣️ Mediator

  • Morgan (Richard Clarkin)

    A tough-minded, stubborn farmer who cares for Angus and maintains a precarious balance in their life. He calms and reassures Angus by retelling their story, preserving a fragile order on the farm. His practical strength contrasts with the dreamlike quality of Miles’s storytelling, yet he becomes a guardian of their shared history.

    • 🌾 Farmer
    • 💪 Protector

  • Angus (Stuart Hughes)

    An elderly farmer who suffered brain damage and memory loss during the London bombing in World War II. He is initially identified as 'the drawer boy' because he once designed buildings and possessed architectural talent. Angus’s memory is reawakened by Miles’s storytelling, revealing the vulnerability and resilience of memory and identity.

    • 🧓 Elderly
    • 🧠 Memory
    • 🏗️ Architect

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:25

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Setting

Where and When Does The Drawer Boy Take Place?

The setting of The Drawer Boy (2017): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

Late 1990s

The action unfolds in a contemporary late-20th-century context, centered on a Toronto theatre group visiting a rural Ontario home. The events focus on memory, storytelling, and the process of turning lived experience into performance. The period is defined by community, regional life, and the enduring impact of personal histories on the present.

Location

Rural Ontario, Toronto, Ontario

Set primarily in rural Ontario, the home of two elderly bachelor farmers, the countryside frames the quiet, intimate drama. The visiting actor’s presence turns the farm into a workshop where memories and stories are examined and reshaped. The setting contrasts hard, practical labor with the fluid world of theatre and memory.

  • 🌾 Rural setting
  • 🏡 Countryside
  • 🇨🇦 Canadian backdrop

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:25

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3 major themes

The Drawer Boy Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is The Drawer Boy (2017) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Storytelling

    Storytelling is shown as a powerful act that shapes reality as much as it records it. Miles's theatre approach blurs the line between fiction and lived experience, reframing the farmers’ past. The line 'We're here to get your history and give it back to you' underscores how a shared narrative can reframe identity and relationships. The play-within-a-play motif suggests that collective creation can stabilize or disrupt memory and truth.

  • Memory

    Angus’s memory loss from his WWII experiences frames the story’s emotional core. The revival of memory through Miles’s storytelling reveals how memory can be fragile and selective. The contrast between remembered past and present reality drives the tension and moment of revelation. The theme explores how memory can heal, but also threaten longstanding bonds.

  • Friendship

    The relationship between Morgan and Angus anchors the drama, balancing care with dependence. Their companionship is tested by the introduction of Miles and by the mercurial nature of memory and storytelling. The play suggests that friendship survives through shared narratives, yet is endangered when the truth behind those stories is challenged. The emotional center is how storytelling can reframe, renew, and sometimes destabilize a long friendship.

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:25

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Character & theme questions

The Drawer Boy Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about The Drawer Boy (2017): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where does The Drawer Boy take place?

The Drawer Boy is set in rural Ontario, specifically on the farm of two elderly bachelor farmers in Huron County. The story contrasts this quiet countryside setting with Toronto, where Miles originates. The Canadian backdrop emphasizes the contrast between hard rural labor and the artistic world of theatre.

  • rural Ontario
  • farm setting
  • Huron County
  • Canadian film
Q2

When is The Drawer Boy set?

The Drawer Boy takes place in 1972, when a young actor from Toronto travels to rural Ontario to collect stories for a theatre project. This time period places the story in a specific era of Canadian rural life, before modern technology changed farming communities.

  • 1972
  • time period
  • 1970s Ontario
Q3

What is The Drawer Boy about?

The Drawer Boy follows Miles, a young Toronto actor who travels to a rural Ontario farm to gather stories about farm life for a play. Staying with Angus and Morgan, two elderly bachelor farmers, Miles's artistic project blurs the line between reality and fiction, ultimately impacting all three men as hidden truths about their shared history emerge.

  • plot summary
  • Miles
  • Angus
  • Morgan
  • Toronto actor
Q4

What are the main themes of The Drawer Boy?

The Drawer Boy explores three core themes: storytelling and how narratives shape reality; memory and its fragility, particularly through Angus's war-related memory loss; and friendship, shown through the complex bond between Morgan and Angus that is tested by Miles's arrival. The film examines how shared stories can both strengthen and destabilize relationships.

  • storytelling
  • memory
  • friendship
  • themes
  • identity
Q5

How does The Drawer Boy explore memory?

The Drawer Boy examines memory through Angus, an elderly farmer who suffered brain damage and memory loss during the London bombing in World War II. The film shows how memory can be fragile and selective, and how storytelling can both revive and reshape personal history. The revival of memory through Miles's theatre work reveals the tension between remembered past and present reality.

  • memory
  • WWII
  • Angus
  • war trauma
  • London bombing
Q6

Who is Angus in The Drawer Boy?

Angus is one of the two elderly bachelor farmers living in rural Ontario. He suffered brain damage and memory loss during the London bombing in World War II. Once possessing architectural talent and called the 'drawer boy' for designing buildings, Angus becomes the emotional center of the story as his memories are reawakened through Miles's storytelling project.

  • Angus
  • farmer
  • WWII veteran
  • memory loss
  • drawer boy
Q7

Who is Morgan in The Drawer Boy?

Morgan is a tough-minded, stubborn farmer who cares for Angus on their shared farm in rural Ontario. He maintains stability in their lives by calmly retelling their shared story, preserving a fragile order. Morgan's practical strength contrasts with Miles's artistic approach, yet he becomes a guardian of their history even when that history is challenged.

  • Morgan
  • farmer
  • caregiver
  • friendship
Q8

Who is Miles in The Drawer Boy?

Miles is a young actor from a Toronto theatre group who travels to rural Ontario to collect stories about farm life for a play. His character becomes known as the 'drawer boy' as he maps and narrates an alternative version of the farmers' lives. His arrival and artistic project ultimately unsettle Angus's memory and reveal hidden truths about the men's shared past.

  • Miles
  • Toronto actor
  • playwright
  • drawer boy
Q9

What role does storytelling play in The Drawer Boy?

Storytelling is central to The Drawer Boy, depicted as a powerful act that shapes reality as much as it records it. The line 'We're here to get your history and give it back to you' underscores how shared narratives can reframe identity and relationships. The play-within-a-play motif shows how collective creation can stabilize or disrupt memory and truth.

  • storytelling
  • theatre
  • play
  • narrative
  • truth
Q10

What is the relationship between Morgan and Angus?

Morgan and Angus are longtime companions living as elderly bachelor farmers, with Morgan serving as Angus's caregiver. Their friendship anchors the drama, balancing care with dependence. The introduction of Miles and his storytelling project tests their bond, as the truth behind their shared narratives is challenged, threatening the equilibrium they have maintained.

  • Morgan
  • Angus
  • friendship
  • companionship
  • caregiver
Q11

Why is it called The Drawer Boy?

The title refers to Angus, who was once called the 'drawer boy' because he possessed architectural talent and designed buildings before his war injury. The young actor Miles also becomes associated with this title as he maps and documents the farmers' lives, creating a parallel between the two characters and their relationship to memory, creation, and identity.

  • drawer boy
  • title meaning
  • Angus
  • architecture

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Drawer Boy, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Drawer Boy tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies exploring memory and truth like The Drawer Boy

Quiet narratives where storytelling blurs the lines between past and present. If you liked the quiet exploration of memory in The Drawer Boy, you'll appreciate these similar films. This section features character-driven dramas where storytelling and recollection are central, creating thoughtful and bittersweet stories.

  • reflective
  • melancholic
  • quiet
  • nostalgic
  • poignant
  • thoughtful
  • Tone: reflective, poignant, bittersweet
  • Pacing: slow, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These narratives typically follow characters who are confronted with, or actively uncovering, the nature of their own or others' pasts. The central conflict often revolves around the difference between factual accuracy and emotional truth, with the story unfolding through quiet revelations rather than dramatic action.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here based on their shared meditative mood, focus on memory as a central theme, and a narrative structure that prioritizes emotional discovery. They offer a similar experience of thoughtful reflection and a gentle, yet impactful, pacing.

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The Drawer Boy

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2015
Driveways movie poster

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2020
All I Desire movie poster

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1953
The In-Between movie poster

The In-Between

2019
Dreamland movie poster

Dreamland

2006
Wild Mountain Thyme movie poster

Wild Mountain Thyme

2020
Matt and Mara movie poster

Matt and Mara

2024

Art-imitating-life dramas similar to The Drawer Boy

Stories where an artist's work unexpectedly transforms real lives. For viewers who enjoyed how art impacted life in The Drawer Boy, this section collects movies where creative processes like writing, acting, or painting lead to unexpected and transformative consequences for the characters.

  • thoughtful
  • transformative
  • poignant
  • contemplative
  • emotional
  • character-driven
  • Tone: bittersweet, transformative, thoughtful
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves an outsider, often an artist, entering a closed world to observe or document. Their artistic project initially serves as a frame, but as they dig deeper, the boundary between observer and participant dissolves. The act of creation itself becomes the central event, reshaping relationships and revealing core truths.

Why they belong together: These movies share a common plot engine: the collision of artistic creation with raw human experience. They are united by a bittersweet tone, a moderate complexity in exploring the ethics of storytelling, and the emotional weight of witnessing lives altered by art.

Anatomy of Love movie poster

Anatomy of Love

2015
Author! Author! movie poster

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1982
The Christophers movie poster

The Christophers

2026
All That We Love movie poster

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2025
Tick Tick Boom movie poster

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Words and Pictures movie poster

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Art School Confidential movie poster

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2006

Every angle

The Drawer Boy (2017) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Drawer Boy in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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