moonspinner55 Review of Borstal Boy

Borstal Boy (2000)

It has aims to be evocative, but can't come up with the goods to get it there

[5/10 · 14 October 2006]

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 ****