The Butcher Boy is the latest film from Irish director Neil Jordan. Based on Patrick McCabe's acclaimed novel, the film takes us on a frighteningly exhilarating and emotionally heartwrenching journey with one Francie Brady, a 12-year-old who lives in a small town in Ireland in the early 1960s.
so brave, so well concieved and realised
Francie (Eamonn Owens) is a bit of a case, he's bold, he's got nothing to lose really - his Da (Stephen Rea) is a violent alcoholic, his ma (Aisling O'Sullivan) is suicidal. The one thing in Francie's life is his friend Joe (Alan Boyle). Together they inhabit the fantasy world of blood brothers in their cubby house by the river. Francie's arch enemy is the pretentious Mrs. Nugent (Fiona Shaw) who, very understandably wants to protect her son from Francie's misadventures. But this is Francie's film, we live it through his head, and as one disaster piles on another in his life, the line between a boy's pranks and more sinister developments blurs.
The Butcher Boy is simply a masterpiece. It's violent, so be warned, but it's so brave, so well concieved and realised. Jordan's line in telling this apocalyptic tale veers between hilarity and horror, between outrageous fantasy – Sinead O'Connor as the Virgin Mary and all too grim a reality. Eamonn Owens is just outstanding as this potentially dislikeable kid who grabs our sympathy, we know where he's going and we know why. We feel for him. Jordan's command of film is masterly. He uses Francie's voice both as a child and an adult to lead us his merry disastrous dance. And although occasionally it's hard to understand the Irish accents, the lyrical prose of McCabe shines through. Very rarely these days does a film have me sitting on the edge of my seat with the sheer exhilaration of seeing something original that's wonderful. That's what The Butcher Boy did to me. I was so grateful.
