Review of Song for a Raggy Boy (2003) by John D — 14 May 2009

Ireland in the 1990s finally snapped out of its lassez-faire mentality and general disbelief towards the horrors many demi-god clerical figures perpetrated upon the vulnerable youths basically imprisoned in reform schools across the country.

"Song for a Raggy Boy" could have been many things, one of them could've been an Irish take on the brutal British masterpiece "Scum", possibly adapting the ice-cold Kubrick feeling of claustaphobia and lurking menace Alan Clarke tuned into precisely.

The final result here is something that cannot reason between sporadic moments of harrowing brutality, an unnecessary soundtrack dancing gleefully between the crystal white Christmas snowflakes, William Franklin's revolutionary guile, nor the temptation to sooth the stinging horror with soft-focus camera work as if taking box office heebee-geebees into account.

The youngsters, especially Mercier, are a revelation, Aidan Quinn chews through his role with the passionate conscience of a real-life member of the Abraham Lincoln brigade, the supporting cast are vigorous too, as they surely are aware that the uneven narrative may not convey exactly what the ghosts of thousands of children are begging them to say.

If ever a picture NEEDED to be delicately balanced between thundering darkness, occasional cracks of light, and actors who tuned perfectly into the zeitgeist, it was this one, luckily the cast have a wisdom the folks behind the scenes seemed to miss out on, as otherwise a collective subject matter so serious could've descended into Halllmark Channel fare.