| Borstal Boy | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Peter Sheridan |
| Produced by | Jim Sheridan Pat Moylan |
| Written by | Novel Brendan Behan Screenplay Peter Sheridan Nye Heron |
| Starring | Shawn Hatosy Danny Dyer Lee Ingleby Michael York |
| Music by | Stephen McKeon |
| Cinematography | Ciarán Tanham |
| Editing by | Stephen O'Connell |
| Distributed by | Strand Releasing |
| Release date(s) | March 1, 2002 |
| Running time | 93 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100,000 |
| Box office | $87,400 |
Borstal Boy is a 2000 British/Irish romantic drama film adaptation of the Brendan Behan autobiographical novel of the same name. The film is directed and written by Irish playwright Peter Sheridan.
In 1941, 16-year-old IRA volunteer Brendan Behan (Shawn Hatosy) is going on a bombing mission from Ireland to Liverpool during the Second World War. His mission is thwarted when he is apprehended, charged and imprisoned in Borstal, a reform institution for young offenders in East Anglia, England. At Borstal, Brendan is forced to live face-to-face with those he perceived as "the enemy," a confrontation that reveals a deep inner conflict in the young Brendan and forces a self-examination that is both traumatic and revealing. Events take an unexpected turn and Brendan is thrown into a complete spin. In the emotional vortex, he finally faces up to the truth.