Song for a Raggy Boy

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.