Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Rich Wright 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

jerryoleary1 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 .

diadeedyi This was by far the most touching movie I've ever seen. I don't normally cry at movies, but at this one I couldn't stop myself, especially at the end, when Liam died. The injustice of these industrial or religious schools, the hypocrisy of these people that do outrageous actions in the name of God, everything is so very well portrayed in a dark atmosphere. You can feel at every moment the fear of the characters, it's in the air. The thing about these Oliver-Twist-like movies is that they mark you deeply, but you can at least say they are just art, and not real, the normal action of a sensitive person willing to ignore the problem. It's not possible in this case,when the movie is based on a true story and the existence of these prisons is recognized. The violence scenes were very graphic, adding, I guess, to the atmosphere of the movie, although they could have been slightly less in number. The movie could have done without the cliché of a teacher with a different mentality that comes to save all the students, repeated also in Mona Lisa Smile. But I guess a shred of hope and support was necessary to boost up the moral. Raw suffering and pain would have been overwhelming with no topic. The movie gets a 10, it definitely shook me.

Kirri L 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.