I loved two aspects of this film. One was the incredible performance of Eamonn Owens as the butcher boy. He is absolutely real and believable as the disturbed protagonist in the parts that demanded it.
The other aspect is the send up of all those happy Irish films - from "The Quiet Man" to "The Commitments" to "Waking Ned Devine". The ironic combination of these myths with gritty and nasty reality produces a surreal, disturbing yet funny black comedy.
Unfortunately, the allegory and the reality don't mix as well as it might have. I kept on thinking that in real life, the butcher boy would have had the s***e beat out of him - many times over (not that it would have mattered). And even though I knew that he was not meant to be absolutely real - (somewhat like the boy in "The Tin Drum") this felt really forced since it detracted from the realistic aspects of the film where it really excelled.
However, overall, an excellent and different film which is well worth watching.
The other aspect is the send up of all those happy Irish films - from "The Quiet Man" to "The Commitments" to "Waking Ned Devine". The ironic combination of these myths with gritty and nasty reality produces a surreal, disturbing yet funny black comedy.
Unfortunately, the allegory and the reality don't mix as well as it might have. I kept on thinking that in real life, the butcher boy would have had the s***e beat out of him - many times over (not that it would have mattered). And even though I knew that he was not meant to be absolutely real - (somewhat like the boy in "The Tin Drum") this felt really forced since it detracted from the realistic aspects of the film where it really excelled.
However, overall, an excellent and different film which is well worth watching.
