A young boy struggles with his family during England's pre-war depression in this drama directed by Stephen Frears. Liam (Anthony Borrows) is a seven-year-old growing up in a working-class family in Liverpool during the early 1930s. Liam's dad (Ian Hart) and older brother Con (David Hart) both work at the nearby shipyards, and his sister Teresa (Megan Burn) works as a domestic for a wealthy Jewish family. Liam, who suffers from a speech defect, is not always happy at school, where his teacher
(Anne Reid) and his priest (Russell Dixon) spend nearly as much time lecturing students about the wages of sin as they do covering the three R's. The family's troubles mount when the shipyard is shut down as England sinks into an economic downturn; angry and confused after losing his job, Dad becomes a member of a fascist organization that blames the nation's troubles on Jews and the Irish. Young Liam is forced to come to terms with his father's intolerance -- and the violence that it spawns. Liam also features a standout performance by Claire Hackett as Liam's Mam. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
The trials and tribulations of a 7 yr old lad in 1930's Liverpool. Oppressed by poverty and his Catholic faith, Liam tries to cope with a speech impediment and a school system determined to literally beat the devil out of him. A gritty, solid little film that falls somewhere between Angela's Ashes and This Is
England.
July 23, 2009
Randy Tippy
Super Reviewer
A good concept that would have been much better served by a more subtle touch, in both writing and direction. The film's hysterics are not charming or exciting, and within a matter of 10 minutes the narrative has settled into dull repetition. Although some of the set-ups are adequately paid off in the third act, it's
not enough to save what is a fairly unmoving experience on the whole. Nicely shot, though.
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