A striking, fast-moving study of Francie Brady, a sub-teen Irish boy, swaggeringly well played by newcomer Eamonn Owens. A cross between Dennis the Menace and the town delinquent, Francie's the progeny of a musician (Stephen Rea), who's been drunk since his honeymoon, and a mother (Aisling O'Sullivan) fighting a losing battle with the mental illness that's also beginning to cloud her son's brain. After one particularly disgusting incident involving town snob Miss Nugent (Fiona Shaw), Francie's bête noir, he's packed off to the same reform school attended by his father and uncle, where madness and visions become his constant companions. Fortunately, this tragic tale is told with more than a dash of comic style, letting Francie narrate his own story as his own disordered mind remembers it. Daydreams turn to nightmares and mischief to mayhem, as poor Francie takes the last, long walk down the corridor to insanity. With violence that's at once real and unreal, this is a compelling, disturbing and original case history.