Neil Jordan's THE BUTCHER BOY is an alarming, frenetic, sometimes dazzling array of ideas about the stresses of growing up poor within the confines of a horrendously dysfuctional family. It is done in an almost surrealist way at times and it makes for a jarring movie experience. The humor (if you want to call it that) is ULTRA dark. Some of the images arresting and loopy. All in all, much applause to the young actor Eamonn Owens who must play a young Irish lad on the fringes of not only society but his mind. The way Jordan directs him, you wonder why he wasn't sited for child endagerment! At times this piece can be very powerful and thought provoking - at others - repulsive... PLUS, it is at times imposible to get past the very thick Irish brogue many of the actors - especially the young lads in the piece - have.