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The Butcher Boy

1997 · Movie · R · 110 min · ★ 6.8 · 72% critics

ComedyDrama

In a small Irish town in the early 1960s, a boy’s playful imagination helps him cope with a home marked by addiction, illness, and instability. As his support system frays and pressure mounts, his grip on reality starts to slip, blurring fantasy and everyday life and pushing him toward increasingly troubling choices.

Based on The Butcher Boy

IMDb

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Details
Years
1997
Release date
1998-02-20
Language
English
Rated
R
Runtime
110 min
Critic score
72/100
TMDB rating
6.8/10 (126 votes)
Box office
$5,000,000
About

You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a bleak yet oddly funny coming-of-age story that mixes harsh reality with surreal imagination; Not for you if you dislike troubled-kid stories, heavy themes, or unsettling violence like in The Voices or Shallow Grave.

Pros: darkly funny tone; unique coming-of-age; strong lead performance | Cons: disturbing subject matter; uneven pacing; tone feels too light

Themes

  • friendship
  • suicide
  • based on novel or book
  • pig
  • boarding school
  • angel
  • difficult childhood
  • dark comedy
  • insane asylum
  • alcoholism
  • murder
  • ireland
  • +1 more

Awards & recognition

  • European Film Award — Best Cinematographer · 1998
  • National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
  • European Film Award — Best Cinematographer · 1998 · nominated
  • European Film Award — Best Film · 1998 · nominated

Cast & crew

Directed by Neil Jordan