Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Andrew Koropets Firstly, I need to say that team(director, actors...) did great stuff. I have never seen such movie before. And want to thank for such film cause it shows that not everything is well in our life. I see that during shooting psychiatrists were involved and showed us real dregs' of society life. Have been shown properly the connection between sex and aggression. You cannot make good by applying strict and violence. I mean, nevertheless child so bad behaved we always must show him the another way otherwise he would reject the whole world and we will have replenishment in crime in future when this child grows up.If I were that teacher I would behave myself even more discreetly with such boy.

p.newhouse@talk21.com This film is not entertainment, it is education. it tackles a very difficult subject in a detached, non-judgemental way, and the director achieves the feel of a fly on the wall documentary, which is exactly right for the tone of the piece. A small boy called Tommy does something dreadful to a smaller boy at the beginning of the film, and the film follows Tommy (Robert Naylor), who is already known to social services, in the aftermath. Tommy's story is told through flashbacks, and through the research his newly assigned Educator (Keyworker), Gilles (played by Claude Legault) does. The acting is superb, and the subject matter so well researched that the complexity of Tommy leaves you torn between hating him for what he did, and wanting to hug him and tell him everything is going to be OK. There are other characters, but they mostly serve as plot tools. Some of the scenes are extremely harrowing, but taken in context, you will see that they are necessary to the story.

peter-ruggles I work in the field, and have seen almost every dysfunctional, antisocial, nasty behavior shown here in the last month. And the children look so innocent! This film is based in French-Canadian part of Canada, and that surprised me as I've seen a limited number in French; Bach and Broccoli, Leolo, C'est pas moi mostly dealing with disturbed children. The story is predictable in outline, but breathtaking in the presentation. The kid is in the system, but you don't know for sure if it's nature or nurture. Just like in real life it's usually a combination of both; kids with attention and impulse control problems have a higher incidence of getting beaten by parents who had the same problems and were beaten themselves. Kids with mood disorders can be AWOL and raise hell one day, and be depressed and suicidal the next. Medication can help if done correctly, but with children it is tricky and sometimes does more harm than good. The psychiatrist in this film was poor. The building was poor. The supervision was awful. The Social Worker's only clue was to try and establish a positive relationship with the kid, and was at least helpful. While not an overly optimistic view of childcare it's at least realistic, and shows the limitations of we mere mortals. The two leads were more than adequate, and occasionally brilliant. This film should be required watching for anyone seeking employment with disturbed children.

griz-259-175100 This movie is perhaps more education than entertainment. It is not an easy movie to watch because of the subject matter. Those who have been psychologically abused by parents may find themselves too easily drawn in and identifying with the plight of the young lead. Those who have not, may find it hard to believe that such thing happen; or shocked at how devastatingly the dysfunctions of the parents can become magnified in vulnerable children. Young Tommy is the victim of an upbringing heavily seasoned with drug abuse, neglect, psychological abuse and mental illness. Easy access to porn videos entices him to recruit a younger boy into a sexual experiment he's still too young to understand and this ends up with his being brutally beaten by his victim's older brother. This lands Tommy in a high-security youth treatment centre -- with an incredibly hard defensive shell for the social workers to crack.The combination of acting and directing is chillingly superb; making it easy to forget one is watching a performance an not a documentary. Everyone from the young lead to the supporting adult actors give amazing performances. The tantrums and the scenes of confinement are difficult to watch; but one cannot turn away. The ending is superbly executed -- leaving you wanting more, yet also content that a good path has been started. This is a movie that hopefully will have a lasting bittersweet impact on most viewers.