Young priest Liam Neeson works hard at a reform school where very young Hugh O'Conor, a troubled kid, is brought in and immediately worms his way into Neeson's heart. In spite of his bad language and wretched attitude, O'Conor strikes a cord with the troubled Neeson, dealing with his own family problems. Against his better judgment, Neeson takes the boy out of school to Dublin and hides from the news that is out about him, risking the boy's health thanks to untreated epilepsy seizures. It's nice to see O'Conor cone to trust him, but it's obviously not without cost.
Often disturbing, this psychological drama has its share of odd characters, including an alcoholic gay man whom they stay with and a nosy hotel worker who offers unsolicited advise and seems obsessed with the hour on the hour catholic services that ends at one, a service she claims for lazy people. The film gets odder and odder, and the fact that Neeson never gives up from hiding the troubled kid indicates that his character is equally off the beam as well. This results in the film being rather odd and more an acting exercise for the rising Neeson than anything else.
Often disturbing, this psychological drama has its share of odd characters, including an alcoholic gay man whom they stay with and a nosy hotel worker who offers unsolicited advise and seems obsessed with the hour on the hour catholic services that ends at one, a service she claims for lazy people. The film gets odder and odder, and the fact that Neeson never gives up from hiding the troubled kid indicates that his character is equally off the beam as well. This results in the film being rather odd and more an acting exercise for the rising Neeson than anything else.