Song for a Raggy Boy (2003) on Netflix
In 1939, William Franklin becomes the first lay teacher at an Irish reformatory for boys. Brother John governs St. Jude's with beatings. The boys answer to numbers; Franklin uses their names.
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- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb7.5/105,304 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes67%
Trailer
Plot summary
A veteran of the Spanish Civil War, William Franklin goes back to Ireland in 1939 after losing his teaching post in the United States over his leftist politics. He takes a post at St. Jude's, a reformatory in Ireland that the Irish Christian Brothers oversee. He is the first teacher there who is not a cleric. Brother John, who governs the school, uses physical punishment. The boys answer to the numbers the brothers give them; Franklin calls them by name and believes they should be treated with kindness and respect. Liam Mercier can read and write, which most of the boys at the school cannot, and Patrick Delaney has just arrived at thirteen and a half. Franklin befriends Mercier and interests him in poetry.
Cast
- Bernard Manningas Rogers 855
- Mark Butleras Downey 913
- Samuel Brightas Ryan 126
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Song for a Raggy Boy (2003)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The film took over four years to make because of casting problems and difficulty raising finance. The hardest part to fill was Liam Mercier, and the makers eventually auditioned John Travers, a boy from an Irish boxing club with no previous acting experience.
- The screenplay, co-written by Aisling Walsh and Kevin Byron Murphy, is based on the 1991 autobiographical book of the same name by Patrick Galvin and is heavily inspired by true events.
