Borstal Boy

What a surprise of a little movie. Young American actor Shawn Hatosy (he's from Frederick, Maryland) gives an astonishing performance as IRA teen gone wrong, Irish writer Brendan Behan. Hatosy's "angry young man" is sincerely angry, but there are cracks in that tough veneer that show a sensitive, thoughtful kid wanting to break out. (Measure Hatosy's performance from "Outside Providence" to "Borstal Boy" and we're looking at a young actor of exceptional depth and promise.)

At the reformatory Borstal, Brendan discovers new hardships: living, eating and sleeping with his enemies. He learns however, that deep down, our enemies have the same needs, wants, fears and desires as we do ourselves. His budding friendship with the openly gay sailor, Charlie Milwal - despite its rocky beginning, captures the joy and frustration of having a best friend and through this friendship each learns how to understand, forgive and love. As Charlie, Danny Dyer gives a performance which is in every regard as equally deep as Hatosy's.

Brendan's taking to fellow Irishman Oscar Wilde and his eventual barnhouse production of "The Importance of Being Earnest" mounted by the young convicts for their fellow inmates. This is an absolute joy and becomes almost the fulcrum from which the story veers into its final direction.

Michael York, Eva Birthistle and the rest of the ensemble all contribute fine performances (particularly Ms. Birthistle who, as a secondary love interest doesn't arrive until a good half way through the story and is both beautiful and touching).

Director Peter Sheridan crams an almost unbelievable amount of story into into a mere 90 minutes so the film flies by. The ending may be a bit abrupt tying things up too tidily, but this is a minor quibble in a stunning, touching gem of a movie.

Peter Sheridan, the director of "Borstal Boy", shows a good sensibility to the material based on the life of Brendan Behan. Having only seen the play at the Lyceum theater in the 70s, it was intriguing to see what kind of adaptation it received on the screen.

The best thing in the film is the young ensemble cast gathered for the film. What comes out in the movie is how friendships made in reform camp affected Mr. Behan for life. The fact that young Brendan can get to like someone as different as Charlie, speaks volumes for tolerance for someone that comes from Brendan's background.

Shawn Hatosy does a marvelous job in his portrayal of Brendan Behan. For an American born actor, this young man clearly demonstrates a range that many of his contemporaries don't have. In the pivotal role of Charlie Milwall, Danny Dyer gives a brilliant performance. Lee Ingleby, as the cruel Dale, is perfect. Eva Birthistle, as the daughter of the warden Joyce, is the only female in a man's world and she does a great job in making the young woman come alive. Michael York has a good opportunity in the role of Joyce.

The only problem with the film is that the dialog is hard to follow, be it because of the sound track, or the heavy accents Mr. Sheridan has everyone speaking as a way to show authenticity. We watched the DVD version, and had to turn the volume to maximum, and still it sounded muffled. In spite of that flaw, "Borstal Boy" is a powerful movie that needs to be seen.

Coming-of-age tale via Irish author Brendan Behan's memoirs about a youthful troublemaker in a British labor camp for lads in 1942. Shawn Hatosy portrays Behan, who shares a bumpy but intense friendship with a gay teenager while timidly romancing a local young lady as well. Curious drama apparently made with the well-intentioned goal to show the burgeoning political activism of a determined man, and how his upbringing molded the figure he was to become; however, too many of these boyhood antics are overly familiar: the playful romping on the beach which precedes a tragedy, the sneaky drinking and smoking during movie-time, the somewhat campy play which brings down the house. The acting by the handsome juveniles isn't bad, though director Peter Sheridan tends to overdose on their aw-shucks smiles and faraway glances. Michael York (despite seeming a bit tired and distanced from the proceedings) is well-cast as the camp's director, but the point of the central relationships is never made clear--the heart of the story has gone missing. Obviously, Behan was not homosexual; although he greatly admired his gay friend, the struggles of this teenager are hardly touched upon--he's treated more like an afterthought in the story rather than an important character--and one aches for more intimacy, more substance. The film has an effectively washed-out look and has interesting locations, but the drama isn't gripping nor enticing because the handling is so aloof. ** from ****

I admit to not having yet read the book on which this film is based and I'm willing to concede that the book may well be far better than the film; as alluded to in other reviews. That being said, I found this film touching, funny, controversial, unique, all those adjectives and more.

The casting of Danny Dyer as a homosexual sailor in the 1940s really shows his versatility as an actor and I believe this must have been a challenging and rewarding part. The film deals with issues that are taboo even by today's standards and although the narrative can be at times overly sentimental, these scenes are strangely refreshing and poignant.

Danny Dyer has some great lines and one hilarious scene involving a football. "Borstal Boy" is unprecedented in its approach to controversial issues and makes for a film well worth watching.

Seen at the Galway Film Fleadh (where this fine picture had its world premiere in July), Peter Sheridan makes an auspicious directing debut from this literary classic. It should be noted, however, that the film is "inspired by" not "based upon" the book by Brendan Behan. Wonderful performances from the entire cast including Hatosy, York,Dyer and Birthistle.