Song for a Raggy Boy (2003) User Reviews (45)

A terrible catalogue of abuse

[MOscarbradley · 8/10 · 17 March 2006]

The catalogue of abuse perpetrated by the clergy in Ireland against the children in their care has long been in the public domain. Tentatively only now is the cinema beginning to address the issue, firstly with Peter Mullan's "The Magdalene Sisters", which wavered between broad comedy and tragedy to disconcerting effect and now with Aisling Walsh's superb "Song for a Raggy Boy", an altogether bleaker affair; indeed at times this is virtually unwatchable so intense is the brutality it depicts.

Aidan Quinn is the first lay-teacher in an Irish reform school run by the Christian Brothers, (hardly an apt term), in the Ireland of 1939. The system of abuse he encounters is so all encompassing that he seems powerless to do anything about it despite winning the approval of the boys. This is a deeply troubling, (and in the end, very moving) film beautifully directed by the young Irish director Aisling Walsh whose lack of technique is all the more unsettling.

It is also superbly played, in particular by the boys, non-professionals all and by Quinn, Iain Glen as the sadistic and evil brother at the centre, Marc Warren as the weak-willed, sexually driven brother, (his is the most emotionally complex character), and by that great and undervalued British actor Dudley Sutton. Flashbacks to Quinn's part in the Spanish Civil War may be ill-judged but this remains a spare, unsettling film which should be mandatory viewing for Catholics everywhere.

Brilliant film -literally hard hitting but a touching 'based on' true story

[j-vincent-2 · 9/10 · 22 February 2009]

I cannot believe some of the negative comments about this film. The acting is strong from the whole cast, including the children and that is a rarity these days. It touches on the awful side of Irish Catholic reform schools and the brutality and abuse depicted here is authentic and true, based on accounts and evidence which has come to light in recent years. It is emotional at times and hard to take but this is a superb film and its comparisons with films such as Dead Poet's are justified. 9 out of 10, not quite perfect but very close. The acting is brilliant and Iain Glenn and Aidann Quinn stand out as do the two main boys in the story. You may be shocked and appalled by some of the scenes but it is worth watching and was one of the best films of 2003.

Sadism among the Clergy

[REVVINCENT · 8/10 · 17 July 2020]

What drew me to this movie is the fact Aidan Quinn stars in it. That was an immediate draw.

I was not fully prepared for the sadistic brutality of Brother John, expertly portrayed by Iain Glen. Brother John is a varifiable bully monster, extremely abusive toward the lads in this reformatory and intractible enough to hold the other clergy at bay. Brother John's rage and anger toward one of the lads leads to Br. John beating the kid to death.

Aidan Quinn as William Franklin, the teacher, is such a magnificent balance of love and compassion that plays well against the monstrous Br. John. In fact, Quinn reminds me of Robin Williams in "Dead Poets' Society". In the end, Franklin wins the day. This was a splendid ending.

Since the film is historical fiction, it speaks volumes about the child abuse of young boys in the Roman Catholic system of reform schools. Sadism and sexual molestation were a trademark among Catholic rehab facilities. It is reputed these "schools" for the less fortunate and the troubled children were violent and extremely abusive up to the time they shut their doors in 1984.

The fact Br. John, after killing Liam (played by John Travers) was moved to another parish located in Africa speaks loudly to the Church's indifference to matters as cruel and serious as kiiling a young man. The script does a good job at revealing just how "low" the boys were held in the eyes of the clergy. Not all of the boys were criminal. Many were "throwaway kids", abandoned by their families.

A great film made brilliant by the sheer power of acting

[johnnyd2 · 10/10 · 7 March 2004]

A great film made brilliant by the sheer power of acting. I have never experienced anything quite like it. We have here a film, a story, so convincingly told that something inside me wishes it were not true and that the abuse of authority that this film exposes does not still exist in the political and religious leaders of toady. The story is that of Franklin, a teacher in an Irish reformatory school who takes up the cause of the ill treated and neglected children being brutalised by Brother John, a rising star in the catholic church hierarchy, with the tacit approval of the other brothers, each labouring over their own guilty secrets. Of course the story is a harrowing one, and does not spare the viewers feelings, at times I wondered why I was putting myself through this gruelling history lesson, but than I knew, that guiding me through the film, like a guardian angel, is the consumate acting of absoutly all the cast. I knew they would see me through. Aidan Quinn and Iain Glen are magnificently convincing both giving the best perfprmances of their careers to date. The young boys are all wonderful in their roles. Their acting is pure realism, such mature performances from young teenagers are a glowing tribute to the directing of Aisling Walsh

Rattling and shocking.

[matineeidyll · 10/10 · 27 September 2004]

Late last night I was watching Foxtel and I came across Song For A Raggy Boy. This movie shook me so hard that I could cry at the drop of a hat. I have no idea why this movie would rattle me more than most other movies I have seen recently - there are far more graphic and shocking movies than this. But the cruelty of the violence coupled with the students' passion and hope (as well as the inspiring school teacher) left me to turn off the TV and sit in complete darkness for what felt like hours, literally trembling.

Also, as a result, I shall forever look upon Ian Glen as The Sadist Headmaster Who Thrashed The Kids Senseless. He was almost TOO good in this role. Aidan Quinn, however, has proved himself once again to be a fine actor, worthy of much more acclaim than he has received. He's not an A-lister, by any means, but he has an art, an impeccably developed craft. He blew me away in Two Of Us and...well, if I wore a hat, i'd take it off to you.

A neatly packaged if somewhat overtly concise perspective on Irish Industrial schools

[PeterJordan · 24 March 2006]

I'd been skirting past this one in the video shop for ages wondering whether it was gonna be too depressing and harrowingly sad to sit through.

And before continuing I have to say I love the Irish characters that Aidan Quinn has created from Playboys, thru This is My father and Harry Boland in Michael Collins - all characters you can empathize with and truly feel their pain, largely, it must be said, because of the projection of Quinns acting.

The only Irish "reform school" I've ever visited is the building that used to house Letterfrack Industrial School in Co Galway, now (somewhat ironically considering some of the scenes in SFaRB) a fine arts furniture college. But to say that the building is still haunted by the ghosts of the boys and the pain and abuse inflicted there is an understatement. It literally oozes and sweats from the very walls of the former institution, defying every admirable attempt by the current education guardians to drag it into the present and positively project its glorious current use.

And so, whilst what is effectively a "year in the life" of this particular unidentified industrial school, does manage to capture in a nutshell much of this pain, and instill in the audience a huge anger at what was perpetuated in these places in both the name of reform and religion, somewhere in the back of ones mind there is a discomfort that it's all being just a bit too neatly packaged, summarized and concluded for the benefit of Hollywood and the happy ending with a massive nod to Dead Poets Society when in reality, as still continues to be daily documented in the Irish courts and tribunals of Inquiry and media reports into such abuse, this was not and sadly never would be something that one brave and progressive teacher might have hope to take on and buck the system - As the tragic caption at the end points out, this system of education and authority with all it's abuses persisted in Ireland right up to 1984 and along it way produced such brilliant and brave people Don Baker, Paddy Doyle (The God Squad), Colm O'Gorman and Mannix Flynn but equally claimed as victims such brilliant and capable people as Noel Browne, and probably most tragically, the graveyard and unmarked graves behind Letterfrack college bears testament to the many many young boys that shed their very lives to these institutions - So to try to imply (for whatever feel good factor and positive connotations it gains) that one man may have successfully stood up to this system during the first year of the "Emergency" in 1939/40 and everything was hunky Dorey after that and the authorities and the church sat up and took notice, is just too syrupy of a picture and a quick fix solution when one is sadly aware that the tragic reality is far removed and some 50 odd years away from that - and whilst it was admittedly a very good picture, this simplistic portrayal of a huge and continuing Irish problem, served to tarnish rather than endow the film as a whole.

Why the R. C. Church lost its grip of the Irish people

[viaradar · 7/10 · 30 October 2020]

This Irish/Spanish/Danish/British production, along others like The Magdalen Sisters (2002) or Philomena (2013), tells us of the horrible events, along the 40's to 70's, that were happening within the walls of schools, convents and churches all over Ireland against defenseless children of both sexes and the impunity of those perpetrators. The acting is very good, although the characters are too much in a black and white presentation. Also the direction and editing leave some scenes with more context to explain and some exaggerations of the physical cruelty and less of the continuing brainwashing by the part of priests, brothers, teachers, authorities and media of the time. Some inconsistencies also apply: no kids were allowed in the private rooms of their teachers and in most boarding schools the daily Mass and Holy Rosary were mandatory. It lacks a more presence of Irish Republican symbols like the flag, the 1916 Rising Proclamation, portraits of Irish heroes or at least of the president at that time, Douglas Hyde, that were everywhere present in schools. The Republican State and the Catholic Church were close allies in that period of time, as opposed to the British Crown and the Anglican Church that were dominant up to 1922. That alliance made the clerical, political and policial authorities work together to grant impunity to those criminals, in order not to tarnish the public image of that religious institution that was helping to reinforce the Irishness of the Republic. Do I recommend watching this film? Yes, but don't expect much more than topics and good acting.

Men may cry.

[patrickduncan609 · 10/10 · 4 December 2003]

An outstanding film from Ireland that is playing to strongly moved and even angry audiences in many parts of Europe as well as competing at the box office in its own territory favourably with such more obviously commercial movies as Intermission and Veronica Guerin. It has won either jury or audience awards at Ghent, Copenhagen, Cherbourg and Slovenia festivals. It tackles the tough and difficult-to-film subject of child abuse and manages to uplift your emotions before devestating and dashing them. All the performances, particularly those from Iain Glen as the sadist priest Brother John and from John Travers as the lead boy Mercier are outstanding and achieving widespread recognition, and many people think this is Aidan Quinn's best role ever. Skillfully and humanely handled by director Aisling Walsh, the film has more conviction than others in its family of films such as The Magdalene Sisters or Conspiracy of Silence and deserves to be seen anywhere it hasn't yet received a distribution. Anyone still interested in honest, highly moving drama or anyone whose youth was not a bed of roses will appreciate this film. An unusual film in that, just possibly, men may cry at it.

Overly simplistic history lesson of Roman Catholic atrocity

[Chris_Docker · 6/10 · 14 April 2004]

Another Roman-Catholic bashing film that comes hot on the heels of The Magdalene Sisters and in a very similar tone. Young adolescent boys that have got into trouble are incarcerated in a 1930s Irish Reformatory School. There they receive fascist style floggings and rape at the hands of the priests. All based on a true story and quite horrific to watch - one scene of two boys being flogged almost to death is remarkably similar to the same scene in Passion of Christ where 'Jesus' is tortured before crucifixion.

Whether the film makes any significant contribution is another matter. Even in an age when courts worldwide seem embattled over paedophile Roman Catholic priests, most people are now aware of the moral paucity of that religious order without ever questioning it. Forgiveness is handed out like a rosary, pointing to the good works the church does. Even a Michael Moore might have gone a little bit further and made some comment on what has been done to prevent similar abuses in the present day and the future, or raised awareness about other catastrophes waiting to happen. Or perhaps list in the closing credits some statistics, good and bad. Even Capturing the Friedmans puts forward a real moral dilemma inasmuch as the perpetrators of abuse are also people who have done much good. Song for a Raggy Boy does none of this and so, together with the rather cheesy clichés about the 'good teacher' standing up to the evil of the Roman Catholic Church, perhaps suggests to a sated audience that the horrors portrayed might be inspired by gratuitous or commercial interest rather than documentarian passion and the fight for human rights / goodness. The simplistic approach undermines what could have been a powerful statement. Failure to distinguish and contrast the Church hierarchy, its dominance, false sanctity and the way its main players are protected, on the one hand, with the decency of the many ordinary catholics on the other, may not only rob the film of its true potential but cause people to feel embittered at being lumped together in the same religion. That the Roman Catholic Church has been capable of so much evil through its history should not cause us to hate the millions of people born into that religion, just as we should not associate modern fundamentalist Islam (and its terrorist offspring) with the millions of loving Muslims. A fleeting reference to Catholic atrocity in the Spanish Civil War is again portrayed in black and white terms, without hard historical facts that could have been appended, or any context - leaving the viewer to either be aware of the politics and religious links to fascism or dismiss them as over-embroidery. Ultimately, films such as Raggy Boy need to go more accurately to the root of the psychological dynamics that allow such evil to flourish.

A very powerful, moving film that sees the humanity in all of us.

[faster-2 · 10/10 · 14 May 2003]

Saw this at Tribeca Film Festival and was genuinely moved by the power and passion of the story, the acting and above all the directing. The filmmakers took care to show each person as a combination of good and bad.The casting of the kids was outright fabulous. Aidan Quinn was born to play this part and brings to his acting a deepfelt conviction of righting certain wrongs with tremendous power and feeling.

Slow start but great film.

[skittlesjack · 7/10 · 26 July 2020]

This story will touch your heart, it does start slow and I almost turned it off but then give it 20 minutes it will reel you in. This is a film with molestation and physical violence and murder towards boys in this orphanage. The priests all know what's going on and do nothing until a teacher gets hired and he start to interfere when he see unnecessary punishment towards these poor boys.

Powerful movie

[ninoguapo · 10/10 · 31 January 2007]

I watched this movie with tears in my eyes. No other movie until know was able to make me feel such pain – almost physical just from watching the story that unfolds on the screen. With risk to repeat myself I must note that this was probably the hardest movie to watch from all I have seen until the moment.

I made few notes when it started – there were about the interesting characters, the song of Libera I noticed – but now I can not really write about that. Shocking, painful, cruel, realistic to the core – I can go on like this for a long time. The fact that "Song for a raggy boy" is based on a true story contributes to the powerful effect this movie has on its viewers.

The acting is quite good as well – so good that I felt like I knew some of the characters in person. The young actors were really convincing and I felt Delaney and Mercier almost like my friends. But let me tell you a bit more about the movie – it is set in a reformatory school run by the catholic church – as it often happens the boys who are send there find anything , but help and support – instead they are beaten and abused mentally and physically ( some even sexually ) from the priests. One of them Brother John is in charge of discipline – here is the line with which he tells the new teacher for the kind of job he is expected to do: "The creatures you are going to teach are not to be confused with intelligent human beings." Only this line itself was enough for me to imagine the horrible manner in which the boys are treated. The new teacher however tried to change all that – and as the story unfolds I began to really like him – he was strict, but at the same time caring with the boys he taught. Brother John becomes his enemy almost from the very beginning and after failing to persuade the superior at the institution to dismiss the new teacher he directs his anger to the school pupils. You will have to watch the movie to find out how it all ends … This movie gets 10 out of 10 for me – since it is sure one of the best ones I have ever watched.

Similar movies: Sleepers, Dead Poets Society

Clerical abuse

[fmwongmd · 7/10 · 7 August 2020]

The tentacles of clerical abuse in 1939 Ireland indeed run deep and unrepentant. Aidan Quinn is effective as the voice of mercy.

Easily one of the best films of 2003

[KieranWhittemore · 5 March 2004]

After reading the other review that totally thrashed this excellent piece of film i felt i just had to write one.

This is really an excellent piece of film. Easily one of the best films of 2003.

It's about a group of boys in an Irish Reformatory School in 1939 who one days gets a new teacher who opposes the violent and harsh ways the "brothers" use to dicipline the boys.

The performances are more than excellent, and the young characters are played out so well by the boys.

If you haven't seen this wonderful film, do so right now! It has recently been released on DVD in Scandinavia. So there's no excuse now.

Outstanding in Every Way

[andrewtowne-1 · 10/10 · 13 September 2009]

Everything about this movie is wonderful if you can handle the grim subject matter.

The musical score is superb, the cinematography excellent, the writing intelligent, and the acting faultless.

I was expecting the subject matter to be exploited, but it wasn't. At the same time, no punches were pulled.

Everyone involved in this project deserves high praise, and my only complaint is that here is yet another great movie ignored by the mainstream.

I am happy to say that this movie is heart-warming at the end -- in spite of the tragedy that takes place, and the fact that the wrongdoers do not receive the punishment they so richly deserve.

Anyone concerned about the injustices and hardships visited upon innocent and defenseless children should see this movie, which is based on historical fact.

What i think about the movie.

[marusa-janina · 10/10 · 22 November 2007]

This movie is really the BEST movie i have ever seen, the actors are great and it has showed us what was going whit does little boys. It is terrible what have they done do them. Children should have great memories on their childhood, but to does children will have an traumatic marks. The boys who landed there, had - we could say - bad luck. The priests were mean pigs, they were using the boys for their nasty needs .. The meanest one was John.. Huh i want to punch him in his ugly face, like he did that to Liam. Well, it is sad that something like that was happening. We can be lucky that we live in this time. GREAT MOVIE, director! :)

Not a happy place...

[natashabowiepinky · 6/10 · 9 June 2013]

In the vein of Dead Poet's Society, we have another inspirational teacher turning up at a staid, formal school in Ireland and transforming the lives of the pupils with his vim and vigour. Only these lads have more problems than most... for a start, they're thought of as little more than animals to be abused and beaten, and there's a bible bashing priest there who'll stop at nothing to show this modern educator and his 'new age' methods the door. Let battle commence...

This is quite episodic in content, as we lurch from the boys learning to read and appreciate poetry for the first time, to the nice tutor's various encounters with the psychotic clergyman... which usually revolve round his attempts to stop the holy man from beating the kids black and blue with a strap for mild infractions. To all intents and purposes, misbehaving in Ireland was not a good idea, lest you end up in one of these religious hellholes. (See also: The Magdalene Sisters).

Like the mad priest's belt, it certainly leaves an impact as you see these youngsters come out of their shells and start to make progress away from a restricted regime, but the formula which has been done to death as mentioned and this particular movie doesn't really add much more to the table. Even the 'surprise' tragedy can be predicted long before the end. Still, it does have a fair few moving moments, and the suffering these youths endure show that no matter how hard my life was at boarding school, it certainly doesn't compare to this cruelty... 6/10

Moving but excellent made film!

[angelic_babe4u_15 · 10/10 · 25 February 2005]

What a well made film! It's so sad about Mercer being killed and I could of beaten that man! he was PURE EVIL! All the actors were really good and I heard it was some of those boys first time at acting but they all looked professional! Especially they boy that played Liam mercer. I cried at some parts because of how touching it was! My favourite part was when they boys were taken out by the nice teacher on chirstmas eve, it was good for them, a nice treat and really sweet, but then came Christmas day and those poor two boys! but the ending was well done! very good! very very good! Just there isn't a perfect word to sum this marvoulous movie up! Marks out of 10, definitely a 10!

Are people blind???

[tvnuts · 10/10 · 24 April 2004]

I'd like to ask what morons have thrashed this great movie. You see there are people who have no idea what makes a good movie and they write crap.Like the guy who said it was an awful movie and that it was too predictable.Well its based on a true story.I don't think people understand that this type of thing happened here,it happened for decades and the story needed to be told.Most reviews have said this movie is useless,mainly because it is just "another" abuse story.So what?There have been movies about abuse made up,but this is based on things that happened form the 40's to the 80's.These boys were sexually and physically abused and it was ignored,there was no one to help them.Some reviews I have read seem to hint that they do not like the movie because it makes the priests out to be evil and they don't want their religion hurt.Well Ill tell you this,some of them were evil,of course not all of them,but yes,some of them were the definition of evil.If this movie doesn't hit you in a way that nearly makes you cry,then you have something wrong with you.And just look at all the awards it got from film festivals.

Great movie,great acting,Aiden Quinn was brilliant as were the kids.

4 out of 5.

So hard to forget and harder to remember

[Dr_Coulardeau · 10/10 · 12 July 2012]

The first lay teacher, William Franklin, in Saint Jude's Reformatory and Industrial school in Ireland in 1939, coming back from the defeated republican war in Spain, had a hard time with the prefect of the school, a brutal and sadistic disciplinary brute, "brother" and why not "father" John.

This first lay teacher will nearly leave some time around Christmas 1939 when John beat to death Liam Mercier, a child that William Franklin had saved from total rejection and submission to his fate of pariah. The children unanimously stopped him when he was leaving after John and his accomplice Mac, a priest who was abusing some children, had been moved out of the school, one to go preach Africans in Africa and the other to take care of a parish in the USA. In other words the murder went unpunished.

Things were changing since the separation wall between the younger boys and the older boys was being brought down by the priests and by the kids. The school was finally able to contemplate a happier future and the boys committed here by justice were finally able to consider some kind of a positive future.

The film insists on the fact that such boys who have been rejected by their families, then by society and locked up behind bars need like all children, but it is a lot more difficult to give them what they need, motivation to learn, understanding based on listening and love, a lot of love, and that's where this refectory and industrial school system was completely wrong. The guidance these kids needed and expected could easily be turned into complete alienation and physical violence and the love they looked for and wanted could be twisted into sexual abuse in a jiffy.

The main lesson from such a real episode as depicted in this film is that these boys were not responsible for what they were to become on the basis of what they had been and had done because between the two, the past and the future, the present of education, understanding and love was transformed into alienation, deprivation, exploitation, violence and abuse by some sadistic and perverted adults, unluckily tolerated by the others who lacked the courage to say no.

But the last scene of this film is a full symbol of the love these kids expect from the adult world and the love they are able to give back when they have been nourished and nurtured with what they need to be and become.

This is a very beautiful film that adds to this sad Irish episode some dramatic flashbacks on the Spanish Civil War and the news about the beginning of the Second World War. Unluckily history was to make William Franklin die on the beaches of Normandy in 1944. He was not able to see the future of the world in which he had fought all his living years against injustice and violence.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

The cruelty of strong dualism

[janosj-1 · 10/10 · 27 January 2009]

Yesterday we saw this brilliant movie on a Spanish TV channel with the original sound-track and subtitles as a possibility we used as Irish is a quite difficult form of English. The Spanish Civil War did not only cause an almost 40 year dictatorship of Franco but also an agreement with the Vatican. The results of this type of agreement ('Concordat') could be seen in this film. A human being like the Prefecto Brother John would - in normal circumstances - be judged as a straightforward criminal. The soft way in which Liam Mercier tried to learn a bit from his teacher what 'love' means belongs to the best parts of this film.

The strong and dangerous hierarchy of the Roman Catholic church - based on the Hitlerian 'Befehl ist Befehl' - has seldom been shown so clearly as in this masterpiece movie. The best teacher fought in the Spanish Civil War and did not hesitate to call the cruel murdering of Liam Mercier as a crime and nothing else. When he decided to leave this 'Reformatorio', his own pupils stopped him from doing it in a way he had taught them to love good poetry. Het only got real help from the director of the school, an honest man who had to live under horrible circumstances and had already stopped the layman-teacher once. 'We need you here' were his words.

I passed with my Spanish/Catalan wife an eye-opening evening and have learned more than in any film about the danger of Catholic dualism.

The movie deserves a 10 and I hope many people are going to see the movie. Then they will also notice the cleverly hidden discrimination that lives in the Roman Catholic way of what is called faith.

Excellent!

[texan84339 · 10/10 · 20 January 2003]

I happened to get to see "Song for a Raggy Boy" at the premiere showing at Sundance...what a wonderful experience! Ms. Walsh did an excellent job of selecting the cast, which in turn, did a fabulous job of captivating the audience. Very well done! Many thanks to Ms. Walsh and Mr. Quinn for their presence at the showing, as well as the time spent answering questions.

A story of a young teacher witnessing what went on in Catholic Church Ireland

[Irishchatter · 8/10 · 19 March 2017]

I thought this movie was so so well done because of course its based on a true story of went on in Catholic Ireland and the acting was brilliant. It was very sad though when one of the poor boys was killed by that violent priest Brother John. Sure that was what happened back then, young boys and girls were so badly brought up in a place where they were meant to be looked after but instead, were betrayed by the priests, nuns and the state who operated the institutions. The scene that made me more angry just as the boy being killed by that priest was, they let the two disgraced priests go from the institution. There was no such thing as arresting a priest back then even with murder, they got special treatment somewhere to "clean themselves up". Honestly, the Catholic Church was disgraceful and disgusting for letting these miserable perverts get away with what they done. The real William Franklin was such a good person for making sure the boys were looked after properly with their education and like, at least he wasn't brainwashed like the rest of the Church Hierarchy. Its too bad he didn't save one.

Brilliant movie, kudos to all cast involved!

it was really like this

[jerryoleary1 · 10/10 · 28 June 2006]

it was really like it i had the misfortune to be in a school with "christian brothers" this film brought all the memories of the beatings back worst than the tali ban . it was really like it i had the misfortune to be in a school with "christian brothers" this film brought all the memories of the beatings back worst than the tali ban . it was really like it i had the misfortune to be in a school with "christian brothers" this film brought all the memories of the beatings back worst than the tali ban . it was really like it i had the misfortune to be in a school with "christian brothers" this film brought all the memories of the beatings back worst than the tali ban .