Bagel Boy
After years of being bullied for being different, awkward Jewish teenager Rodney Katz hatches a bold plan; to use the conspiracy theories found in an anti-semitic propaganda book to gain the respect of his bullies and to launch himself to the top of his school’s social ladder.
I Am Here (Feature Doccie, 2021), Leemtes en Leegheid (Short Film, 2022), Die Kwiksilwers / The Quicksilvers (Feature Film, 2024), Amazeze (short Film, 2025)
I Am Here (Feature Doccie, 2021), Leemtes en Leegheid (Short Film, 2022), Die Kwiksilwers / The Quicksilvers (Feature Film, 2024), Amazeze (short Film, 2025)
This is his debut feature film script.
Project Overview
Bagel Boy is a coming-of-age dark comedy set in 1979 in the small, conservative town of Donderdagdorp, South Africa. Rodney Katz, a skinny, awkward 13-year-old, struggles to find his place as one of the only Jewish boys in an all-boys public school. Labelled “Bagel Boy” by his bullies, Rodney is desperate for a sense of belonging and respect. When he discovers The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a notorious piece of anti- Semitic propaganda, he concocts a plan: use the book’s myths to scare his classmates into believing he controls the world’s gold, media, and their fates.
With help from his only friend Theo and rogue cousin Mikey, Rodney manipulates his peers into believing his plan. As he rises in status, he spirals – neglecting his friendship with Theo and hurting Antjie, the girl-next-door he admires. When a violent school incident exposes his scheme, Rodney is suspended and sent to Johannesburg.
Faced with rejection and shame, Rodney comes to a painful realisation: true belonging doesn’t come from others’ fear, but from those who accept you for who you are. Choosing authenticity over illusion, Rodney returns home to make amends and reclaim his identity – not as a myth, but as himself – before it is too late.
Our story captures both the absurdity and pain of growing up different and the struggle for acceptance. Taking tonal inspiration from Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit (2019) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), the film juxtaposes quirky, deadpan comedy with deeper explorations of alienation, identity, and belonging. Echoing the existential undertones of the Coen brothers’ A Serious Man (2009), the film transitions between laugh-out-loud absurdity and introspective personal moments, weaving together a story of a boy caught between his yearning for belonging and his rebellion against the very society that ostracises him.
At its core, however, this is an anti-hate film that takes place in a world where discrimination is ubiquitous. It shows what one little boy will do to try to gain control of his tormentors, and in doing so, he becomes the ‘monster’ that his bullies want him to be. The film explores the universal and ever-prevailing themes of identity, belonging, and justice, with humour making the journey even more entertaining and meaningful.
