no film in recent has left me with such conflicted feelings as neil jordan 's harrowing , humorous , horrifying adaptation of patrick mccabe 's novel about young lad francie brady 's ( eamonn owens ) descent into madness in 1960s ireland .
on one hand , it was difficult for me to become invested in francie 's story because he is such an unsavory character , unjustifyably venting his rage at his nosy but otherwise harmless neighbor mrs .
nugent ( fiona shaw ) .
on another hand , i found it difficult to laugh at some of francie 's darkly comic shenanigans because he obviously is such a sick , needy child , having been raised by a drunken father ( stephen rea ) and a suicidal mother ( aisling o'sullivan ) .
on yet another hand , i also found it difficult to completely sympathize with francie during his more emotional scenes because some of his , for lack of a better word , " bad " deeds are so incredibly shocking in their brutality and the malicious glee in which he performs them .
however , the butcher boy 's power is undeniable , and the film as a whole is unforgettable -- perhaps because it is so disturbing .
what makes it so unsettling is the francie 's overall wink - wink yet matter - of - fact attitude about everything , expressed in a cheeky voiceover narration delivered by the adult francie ( rea again ) .
think heavenly creatures played largely for laughs , and you 'll sort of understand .
anchoring the whole film is the astonishing debut performance of owens ; love francie or hate him , you can not take your eyes off of owens .
the butcher boy truly is a twisted , unusual film that is bound to make just about anyone uncomfortable .
in the lobby after the screening , i overheard one man raving about how great yet disturbing it was ; i also heard one particularly offended woman say with disgust , " that movie was so unfunny ! "
" i did n't know what to expect .
it 's like something you chase for so long , but then you do n't know how to react when you get it .
i still do n't know how to react .
"
--michael
jordan , on winning his first nba championship in 1991 . . .
or , my thoughts after meeting him on november 21 , 1997
the film as a whole is unforgettable the astonishing debut performance