Boring

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

I thought this movie was so so well done because of course its based on a true story of went on in Catholic Ireland and the acting was brilliant. It was very sad though when one of the poor boys was killed by that violent priest Brother John. Sure that was what happened back then, young boys and girls were so badly brought up in a place where they were meant to be looked after but instead, were betrayed by the priests, nuns and the state who operated the institutions. The scene that made me more angry just as the boy being killed by that priest was, they let the two disgraced priests go from the institution. There was no such thing as arresting a priest back then even with murder, they got special treatment somewhere to "clean themselves up". Honestly, the Catholic Church was disgraceful and disgusting for letting these miserable perverts get away with what they done. The real William Franklin was such a good person for making sure the boys were looked after properly with their education and like, at least he wasn't brainwashed like the rest of the Church Hierarchy. Its too bad he didn't save one. Brilliant movie, kudos to all cast involved!

The first lay teacher, William Franklin, in Saint Jude's Reformatory and Industrial school in Ireland in 1939, coming back from the defeated republican war in Spain, had a hard time with the prefect of the school, a brutal and sadistic disciplinary brute, "brother" and why not "father" John.This first lay teacher will nearly leave some time around Christmas 1939 when John beat to death Liam Mercier, a child that William Franklin had saved from total rejection and submission to his fate of pariah. The children unanimously stopped him when he was leaving after John and his accomplice Mac, a priest who was abusing some children, had been moved out of the school, one to go preach Africans in Africa and the other to take care of a parish in the USA. In other words the murder went unpunished.Things were changing since the separation wall between the younger boys and the older boys was being brought down by the priests and by the kids. The school was finally able to contemplate a happier future and the boys committed here by justice were finally able to consider some kind of a positive future.The film insists on the fact that such boys who have been rejected by their families, then by society and locked up behind bars need like all children, but it is a lot more difficult to give them what they need, motivation to learn, understanding based on listening and love, a lot of love, and that's where this refectory and industrial school system was completely wrong. The guidance these kids needed and expected could easily be turned into complete alienation and physical violence and the love they looked for and wanted could be twisted into sexual abuse in a jiffy.The main lesson from such a real episode as depicted in this film is that these boys were not responsible for what they were to become on the basis of what they had been and had done because between the two, the past and the future, the present of education, understanding and love was transformed into alienation, deprivation, exploitation, violence and abuse by some sadistic and perverted adults, unluckily tolerated by the others who lacked the courage to say no.But the last scene of this film is a full symbol of the love these kids expect from the adult world and the love they are able to give back when they have been nourished and nurtured with what they need to be and become.This is a very beautiful film that adds to this sad Irish episode some dramatic flashbacks on the Spanish Civil War and the news about the beginning of the Second World War. Unluckily history was to make William Franklin die on the beaches of Normandy in 1944. He was not able to see the future of the world in which he had fought all his living years against injustice and violence.Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

I cannot believe some of the negative comments about this film. The acting is strong from the whole cast, including the children and that is a rarity these days. It touches on the awful side of Irish Catholic reform schools and the brutality and abuse depicted here is authentic and true, based on accounts and evidence which has come to light in recent years. It is emotional at times and hard to take but this is a superb film and its comparisons with films such as Dead Poet's are justified. 9 out of 10, not quite perfect but very close. The acting is brilliant and Iain Glenn and Aidann Quinn stand out as do the two main boys in the story. You may be shocked and appalled by some of the scenes but it is worth watching and was one of the best films of 2003.

Watching this movie I had the same feelings I had when "The Magdalene Sisters" was shown at theatres. "Song for a Raggie boy" is based on a true story and tells about the time spent by these boys in a reformatory. Another strong indictment against system basing itself on God, purportedly, another battle between good and evil. Something might have been exaggerated but sadism and perversions are not invented at all, as well as the Catholic Churg hindering rapes and murders. Performances are strong and charming but you remain wordless for the contents. I can recognize everything was displayed in too black and white way but, sweet ending aside, these things really happened and nobody was ever jailed.