I didn't realize until the very end that this film is based on a book of the same name, a true story about Brendan Behan, an Irish writer and political activist, and his time in a British labor camp. It's pitched as a dreamy, romantic film, and it really only comes alive in the last 20 to 25 minutes, where the emotions run high and it tugs at your heart. For the first half I had no clue where the story was headed, though it did start making sense eventually. Brendan is a 16 year old Irish boy who gets caught trying to smuggle a few sticks of dynamite on board, and he's sent off to Borstal, an underage detention center. That's where he meets Charlie, a sailor who's openly gay and also locked up there. Brendan makes it clear he's not gay, but the two still become really close friends. A lot of the film is about what these two get up to along with a few other boys at Borstal, and how Brendan changes during that time. They try to break out of the place, and it costs...
Now this was a lousy excuse to make a movie. This movie was just torture. It was sooo slow and draggish. Even otherwise, there was not much of a stiry in the first place in this film. It was very odd. It could have been a good 10 minute short film but nothing more than that.Ray, a thin, very tall and handsome young man returns to live with his father after having grown up with grandfather. He is angry and disconnected over his father's life because he never lived with him and he blames him for sending him to his grandfather. The dad has an employee Bo who works very closely for him. Ray enrolls in art school where he makes a new friends and starts a relationship with a another student. One morning, Dad discovers the two young men naked in bed and, after being surprised, must begin to understand his own feelings toward homosexuality. Then Ray meets Bo and sparks fly. They both get in a relationship. When the father finds out, he sacks Bo from his job leaving Ray behind all alone.
This movie had so many passe moments. There were scenes which would go on forever. Like 3 people eating at dinner, they are just eating and nothing else, Ray and Bo playing chess, Ray and his father playing chess, those scenes dont go anywhere, then Ray and Bo exercising and talking all about it. I mean why would you wanna have such scenes that too that just doesn't seem to end and go for on and on. It was never clear why is Ray mad at his father. What is it that the father is going through? Specially the end where the father goes and lies next to Ray. That was a very odd way to end the film.
Completely avoidable. Not worth anything. (1/10)
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