recommended

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

From director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, Michael Collins, The Brave One), this Irish film used to be listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I was certainly hoping it deserved that placement. Basically set in Ireland in the early 1960s, in the small town of Clones, twelve year old Francie Brady (Eamonn Owens) is an imaginative boy who loves comic books, movies and television, and these fuel his interest in aliens, communism and the Atomic Age. Francie's mother Annie aka Ma (Aisling O'Sullivan) is a manic depressive, and suffering a nervous breakdown commits suicide, Francie is left in the care of his emotionally distant and ill-tempered alcoholic father Benny aka Da (Stephen Rea), and to get away Francie spends most of his time with his best friend Joe Purcell (Alan Boyle). More despair follows when Joe is sent to boarding school, and then he starts having conflicts with the neighbours, another boy, Phillip Nugent (Andrew Fullerton) and his nasty mother Mrs. Nugent (Harry Potter's Fiona Shaw), this friction was spawned from some form of paranoia. He finds work in the local abattoir which helps him earn some needed money, but then his father dies after drinking himself to death, the continuing argument goes to the point when Francie's condition has worsened with more bizarre behaviour, and he goes too far and murders Mrs. Nugent, who he blamed for all things going wrong. Francie is sent by the authorities to an asylum to attempt to help him recover and return to reality, but this is difficult as he cannot help but have fantasies and conversations with the spirit of a foul-mouthed Virgin Mary (singer Sinéad O'Connor), he is molested by priest Father Sullivan (Milo O'Shea), and the town will probably never forgive him following his shocking brutality. Also starring Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone's Ian Hart as Uncle Alo, Father Ted's Ardal O'Hanlon as Mr. Purcell, Alan Boyle as Joe Purcell, Niall Buggy as Father Dom, Brendan Gleeson as Father Bubbles and Never Mind the Buzzcocks's Sean Hughes as Psychiatrist #1. As the young boy near adolescence Owens gives a brilliant performance, and the performances of Rea and O'Connor add to it also, this is film full of both darkness and surrealism as the first mischievous child working in a slaughterhouse has his world slowly crumbling around him and his mental state deteriorates, but there are moments to make you laugh too, I admit some bits were slow, but overall I found it a most interesting black comedy drama. Very good!

I would have thought this movie to be unique if I had not seen Reflective Skin earlier. THis is a walk inside an insane Irish kid's mind who started off mildly bent and then was tortured into insanity by his wretched surroundings. Reflective Skin, with acting that is not as sharp but a far superior script is the better movie on this topic.If you are sick and tired of all the beige Irish films that suburban sheeple with 1/8th Irish in them watch to feel more Irish watch this flick- it is the direct opposite of the tepid Irish comedy that has been shoved down our throats ever since "The Commitments" was a hit.This movie focuses on a red headed Irish lad and his exploits in a small Irish town as his small world slowly falls apart. I found the script to be daft but the acting brilliant.The boy get's the name "Butcher Boy" because he works at a butcher's on occasion- not because of any horror element.

This is a terrific film from Neil Jordan: paving the way for some of his later, more famous works - but to my mind, this is his best film. Once you get past the quirk of casting Sinead O'Connor as Our Lady (a performance of great respect and ability, it turns out...) and get into the film, it's clear from an early stage that you are watching something pretty special. The acting is first rate throughout. The plaudits awarded to Eamonn Owens as Francie Brady are entirely deserved - it is a REMARKABLE performance, devoid of any guile or staginess, full of the intensity and sadness of childhood. He is supported by acting greats Stephen Rea and Fiona Shaw as his father, and nemesis respectively, and there isn't a bum note in the whole thing. It is an imaginative and almost unbearably sad film (and as only sad films can be it is also remarkably funny) that deserves to enjoy huge success and CERTAINLY deserves a DVD release, which at time of writing, was already long overdue.

i cannot categorise this film.there is comedy , drama ,deep dark horrors of the mind and childlike innocense and that is but half of it all. it is the life of a boy affected by his environment ,family home, trying to enjoy boyhood innocense while struggling with his mind's demons as i see it. eammon owens, stephen rea fit together magically in the boy's film debut as though they 'd been close all their lives.' many things may be misunderstood of this film such as boyhood scenes with his best friend ( the only person in the world the lead character seems to be able to anchor to emotionally) as they elaborate in acting, the innocense and mischievousness( no idea how thats spelt), that is expected of the dream childhood. as well as sinead oconnor being commented on as playing the part of Our Lady. for me , it is clear, she is but portraying a figment of the lead character's imagination , whose interest in her seemed to manifest in the pictures and statues of our lady, hence sinead's lack of facial movements and the odd things she says. many words and the irish accent may be lost at times on some americans but the flow of the film is uneffected by a few words lost here and there they have told me. The brilliance of this film , actually endears you to a bully of a boy who commits the ultimate reprehensible act, because it follows his life and history of mental illness that lurks beneath the sweet faced , clever charmer.i must have seen this film 30 times i kid you not.