Big boys don't cry

This is not the kind of movie you'd watch for family entertainment but it is the kind of movie that everyone needs to see. It's the harrowing story of Paul Connelly and the abuse he and others suffered at the hands of evil men in the 1970's.

The lead actor, Michael Socha, gives the performance of his career so far and the young lads that play Paul and Liam as kids are also impressive. In fact all the cast come out of this with credit.

The movie also shows us parts of Pauls life that he's probably not proud of but the overriding factor of the film is to show how such atrocities can mess with a victims mind.

Well done to all concerened with this, especially Paul who must have had a few dark nights recounting his experiences whilst working on this.

This true story tells a difficult subject that is painful yet compelling to watch. From the opening scene it is difficult to take your eyes of this film that holds nothing back depicting the savage way institutions back in the day we're allowed to abuse there positions on looking after young children. It is not an easy watch but then a true story of such savage consequences never are. The film shows however the strength of a young boy who against all odds survives and able to bring this to life on the big screen. Fantastic performances by the leading actors with a great support cast including a young Paul.

Gritty drama based on a true story of child abuse in a childrens home in the 70s and 80s. Jacko as a damaged man shows how his childhood has affected him as an adult but how things can turn around.

Acting was superb. At times upsetting to watch and heart breaking scenes .

The filming was brilliant. Unfortunately more and more cases of historic child abuse are being reported .

Paul Connolly aka Jacko is a brave man telling his story and helping others as a result. Am so glad his outcome was different than many others and he had had the chance to lead a life worthy of him . He deserves a huge hug.

I'm sorry, I hardly ever write a negative review because as an aspiring filmmaker I know how much time, effort and money people put into independent productions, but it has to be said this a great opportunity missed.

I feel sorry for the two leads as I've seen them before and know how natural and talented they are at acting, but it goes to prove you can't outact a badly written script.

The dialogue is cheap and corny and as a person who came from this background I can tell you this is not authentic in the slightest. I don't know for sure but I can only assume the director and writer did not come from this background and tried to make a project about a subject that they knew nothing about.

It's full of cliches and grinding repetitive cutaways in a desperate attempt to create artistic symbolism. You will know what I mean when you watch it.

The movie has huge pacing issues too and jumps back and forth between past and present for reasons best know to no-one except the writer. An experienced script supervisor would have been money well spent on this production and more money spent in the sound design as overall it the lack of it makes everything seem bland and boring.

Overall it comes down to bad direction from a badly written script. Hopefully they can learn from their mistakes for their next production. But then again they got it on Netflix, so what do I know 😊

Michael Socha deserves an Oscar for this performance. He makes you feel every bit of the character he's portraying and the unheard voices of those he's not. The performance is incredible. The film doesn't drag whilst it gives an insight into the character and the many layers to a troubled character. It explores a very harrowing theme in a way that is hard to watch, but ultimately a must see for audiences everywhere. I am sure many watching will be able to relate, as I was, to the harsh environments of the 70's and 80's that have not been talked about enough. However, the mistreatment of children in care still occurs today. On a large scale.