Buddy Boy

A dark and disturbing film about Francis (Aiden Giillen), who lives a lonely introverted holy life with his bed-ridden stepmother Sal. But all is not what it seems, and the twisting plot of this story manages to make you feel very uneasy. Most of the time you find yourself on the edge of your seat trying to map out the film, but the unexpected twists and turns and the addition of odd and frightening sub plots make this film addictive from the first minute. This is a film that will stay with you for a long time after you have watched it. It is quite frankly terrifying and spooky at times, when Francis' neighbour, a strict self-proclaimed vegan, who he grows to love, is not all she seems when she is seen hacking away and eating raw meat, which is concerningly similar to a piece of human flesh. The film leads to an underlying and alarming suspicion of cannibalism, violence and murder. At the same time, freaky sub plots emerge and a startling shock appears when Francis' stepmother Sal becomes involved with a plumber, and after an incident emerges, Sal is not all she appears to be. The further involvement of another curious subplot about an abducted girl who Francis keeps seeing, adds even more suspense. The Plot thickens when you're left with the feeling that Francis may be imagining things, but is he? I loved this film and the ending is a brilliant and extremely scary, and leaves you wondering. I found myself asking everyone I knew if they had seen it just to hear their theory's about what was going on. Without a doubt a must see film.

1st watched 4/5/2007 - 7 out of 10(Dir-Mark Hanlon): Disturbing and fascinating story of a recluse who does nothing except take care of his ailing step mother until he meets his next door neighbor who he happens to be peeping at thru a hole in his basement on a daily basis. The peeping continues despite the fact that she falls in love with him and they spend many evenings together. She openly confesses to being a vegan, but Francis(the recluse) starts seeing things thru his peep hole that makes him think otherwise. Francis's life has been mixed up for awhile. His real mom&dad are dead -- his step mom is crazy & crippled, he lives a mundane life where he goes to work on the same bus everyday and doesn't really interact with people and knows very little about women until his next door neighbor comes along and disrupts his simple boring life. There is also a religious aspect to his life that does nothing but confuse him and gives him somewhere to confess his sins, but does nothing to help him in real life. Despite this, everything is going along OK until his step mom accidentally kills his boyfriend and Francis suspects his neighbor is killing men in her apartment and having a little snacky-poo from the remains(which is technically not being a vegan). OK, now that I've said this much, I still hope you will see this well done independent movie. It's compelling, creepy and a nice study on human existence for a few mixed up people.

This film offers such a vivid depiction of mental illness that I found myself slightly disturbed after I had done watching it (I'm OK now, though!!) It will appeal to those who are fans of unsettling psychological horror that explores one person's mental state. Other films that I'm sure this one carries the influence of, include: "The Driller Killer", "Psycho", "Bad Boy Bubby"...

I'm no psychiatrist, but it struck me how it might be possible to get so wrapped up in one person, that you begin projecting your issues onto them once they've let you down; because up until then they'd been the only reliable, stable figure in your life. Throw in religious crises, which have the ability to make you even more uncertain, and you've got the recipe for one seriously messed-up individual. There is imagery contained within to turn your stomach and make your head spin. Take a chance on "Buddy Boy" if you're in the mood for a walk on the wild side; I just hope you come back unscathed... !

I really enjoyed the film. I loved the repetition of shots and the plot twists. At first the film looked like it was going to be somewhat normal but then it turned into a darker, more twisted view of human nature. I felt that I was guessing what was going to happen next and had theories in mind before the ending came. And what an ending it was! I have a feeling I'm going to have to watch it again at least once more before I can come up with any solid theory. I give it an 8-9 out of 10.

This disturbing and hilarious film achieves a delicate balance of the macabre and the absurd. At times it approaches satire, but its ultimate dramatic intensity belies a more serious study of faith and alienation. The performances of Aidan Gillen, as Francis, the lonely introvert voyeur, and Susan Tyrrell, his abusive mother, are exceptional. The production design and cinematography together create a strange and haunting world. One particularly interesting element is the use of sound to convey the protagonist's changing psychological perspective. Overall, this film has the unusual characteristic of staying with you long after you've seen it. I would highly recommend it.