A Boy Called Dad

Saw this film as part of the Best of the Fest in Edinburgh Film Festival. Whilst it has its flaws (particularly re the lack of representation of any real women characters) this is more than made up for by main story (which focuses on the Dads) which is moving and captivating and the performance of newcomer Kyle Ward (Robbie) alongside Ian Hart as his Dad. The film centres upon fatherhood and whether the chain of bad dads can be broken by Robbie. His interaction with his young baby son, inspired by his own treatment by his dad is especially moving, as is the reaction of the Welsh girl (Nia) he meets on the run with her own father. Definitely worth seeing especially if you have kids or intend to have them and fancy a cry!

This film is not something I would purposely seek out to watch, it isn't something that would catch my eye if I stumbled on the trailer, but it is something that I am glad to have been shown to. I only watched this as part of my exam preparation for Media Studies and I honestly think it is one of the most eye opening things I have ever seen. It covers issues that are very much alive today and really gets to the raw emotion of the situation Robbie is placed in. The film is incredibly well made and I seriously recommend that people go out and buy it, I promise that you will like it, even if you don't expect that you will. A Boy Called Dad proves the potential that independent film makers have and has blasted a massive hole in the market to be filled with feature films just like this that are hugely successful in doing what they do and are just as worthy of viewers as big Hollywood films we all go to see.

Director Brian Percival manages to maintain an even keel between the social relevance of teenage pregnancy and keeping the audience grounded in a young boy's innocence.

Following this personal journey from boyhood to fatherhood is a captivating and precious experience that is sure to tug on your heartstrings.

Julie Rutterford's dialogue is spot-on and the acting is brilliant. Ian Hart gives a great performance as Robbie's dead-beat dad and Kyle Ward (14-year old Robbie) brings a genuine honesty and reality to this film.

This intimate drama is not to be missed and a story that should never to be forgotten.

Boy Called Dad- How good it was to see a refreshing, moving and relevant British film, something I've not seen since other low budget films like "This is England and Trainspotting". This is a film with a genuine desire to tell a story, convey a message, entertain and educate all with such integrity. The script was imaginative and real, the acting first class with characters we all know from the street round the corner. To see a film that is shot around my own childhood haunts such as the sea front at West Kirby instead of some distant exotic location is exciting and very pleasing. I hope this film launches Made Up North Productions into the mainstream of the British film industry as it should. Well worth a trip to see if you have the chance.

You don't have to have a child yourself to feel the emotion seeping out of every frame of this affecting film - everyone will relate to the themes of regret, responsibility and second chances.

A great performance by Kyle Ward, for his first film role he shows a real depth of emotion and surprising subtlety at times and Ian Hart in the role of his absent father is great as always.

An emotionally charged, and in places extremely funny, script combined with some breathtaking cinematography lift 'A Boy Called Dad' above many of its contemporaries. The result is a film that won't just tug at the heart strings, but will shear right through them. A simple story told with honesty and integrity; one that will stay with you long after you've left the cinema.