O Menino Extraterrestre

This film centers on an 8-year-old boy who devises an imaginative way to cope with his grief and loneliness after his father dies. Set in Dublin around 1960, the tale centers on Harry Cronin, who decides, in the face of his elder brother's neglect and his father's death that he and his dog are aliens on a special mission from Mercury. Fueled by his love of old Flash Gordon films, he constructs an elaborate scenario in which he must report on all aspects of Earthling life. Along the way, he must somehow muster his alien powers to dispatch with the school bully, whom Harry likens to Emperor Ming. Things don't get much better though and Harry gets impatient for his fellow spacemen to come and rescue him. Then he meets a wealthy young boy, who shows how wonderful family life can be. Harry's mother is naturally worried by her son's increasing emotional withdrawal, but nothing she does seems to help. Fortunately for her, weird aging biker, Uncle Tony shows up. An undisputed outsider himself, it is he who is finally able to reach Harry and help him deal with life.

This is almost forgotten Irish film - yet it's the still the finest ever made in this country. Anyone who remembers what it was like to be a child will identify with the frustrations, joys and terrors of growing up among adults and older siblings who failed to understand anything. The actors are wonderful including Tushingham and Courtney (3 decades on from Doctor Zhivago) and the technical elements are remarkable considering the shoe-string budget. I saw this movie at its world premiere in Dublin in 1996 - it was love at first sight. I hope it grows in stature over the coming years.