THE BORSTAL BOY

Directed by Peter Sheridan. Starring Shawn Hatosy, Danny Dyer

and Michael York

Adapted from literary genius and uber-piss-head Brendan Behan’s auto-biographical account of an English borstal in the 1940s, Peter Sheridan’s Borstal Boy is never less than a magnificently faithful adaptation of its source, despite there not being a profanity in ear-shot.

For those unfortunates not previously initiated, here’s the plot: Brendan Behan (Hatosy), a sixteen-year-old republican recruit, is itching to do his bit for the cause. Hence, he hits Liverpool with explosives strapped to his body, only to be apprehended by the local Customs authorities, and thrown into an East Anglian borstal.

Once there, he finds himself in the enforced company of Milwall (Dyer) – and under the philanthropic, if nauseatingly condescending, regime of borstal governor Joyce (York).

This sequence of events throws young Brendan into a quandary – he has to bond with the Brits he has made it his life’s business to loathe, with additional fuel poured onto the flames of his identity-crisis as a result of his homosexual attraction for Milwall. It’s all played out in blindingly simple but brilliantly effective fashion, with newcomer Hatosy and the increasingly impressive Dyer hitting top form throughout.

While minor liberties have been taken with the book – in particular, it dispenses with the foul-mouthedness that was arguably Behan’s single defining characteristic – Borstal Boy is an instantly captivating and ultimately highly-rewarding experience, and it almost single-handedly re-affirms one’s faith in the state of Irish film. Make the time to see it. [CF]