The Butcher Boy (1997)

Today I watched Niel Jordan's adapation of Patrick McCabe's The Butcher Boy. 
It had an unusual yet engaging narrative which was portrayed excellently by the actors. Eammon Owens's (Francie) performance was fantastic, especially for such a young actor.
It was also interesting to see how Fiona Shaw's character (Mrs Nugent) was similar to the character she plays in Harry Potter, and I think that this film would have contributed to her being cast for that role.

Francie and his best friend Joe (Alan Boyle) play
 happily at the beginning of the film

The film begins with the jolly, slightly over-acted antics of young Irish schoolboys and it all seems very naive, similarly to Kes. However, the development of Francie's character from a slightly naughty schoolboy was quite suprising, as his paranoia emerges and he shocks the audience with his brutal murder of Fiona Shaw's character Ms Nugent.  The portrayal of Francie's imagination was interesting, as it was unclear whether the Virgin  Mary was a hallucination or what he is merely pretending to see.

Father Sullivan (Milo O'Shea) molests young Francie as
Francie recalls his vision of the Virgin Mary

I might see if I can buy the book that this film is based on as it would be interesting to see if the plot or characters differ at all. I also definately want to get hold of some more Neil Jordan film so I can get a better idea of what his style is like.

This grim scene shows Francie playing his
Father's (Stephen Rea) trumpet as he lies
dying on the chair.