Handsome Devil

Opening the 2017 Glasgow Film Festival is the coming of age tale Handsome Devil. The film is the second from John Butler who previously charmed with his 2014 comedy drama The Stag. Here he takes us on a journey of self realisation as seen through the eyes of a teenage boy who is trying to make the leap into adulthood.

Ned (Fionn O’Shea) is a quiet rebel. For tha last couple of years he has been shipped off to boarding school while his father and sullen step mother work and live in Dubai. He wants nothing more than to be away from the confines of the rugby obsessed school. His father sees it differently. For him the school is a character builder and a good step to the future for his son. Ned is an outsider with his disdain for the aggressive sporting activities on offer and is horrified to learn that he has to share a room with new boy Conor ( Nicholas Galitzine). Ned immediately takes a dislike to him as he represents everything he is rebelling against. Conor was expelled from his last school for fighting and is something of a rugby star. After some time the pair find common ground through music and develop a friendship. Pressures on the now successful rugby team and questions over Conor’s choice of friends leads to tensions that threaten the whole school.

This is the type of film that audiences have seen many times before. The coming of age drama is a familiar one to most and is a regular staple in cinema output. Handsome Devil follows the path of these and rarely diverts into anything new. The story offers no surprises in its telling and as it involves sport there is now doubt as to where the story is going to end up.

The private school setting gives rise to the obvious comparisons with Dead Poet’s Society as the main teenage protagonists are outsiders for a number of reasons. Add an inspirational English teacher, in the form of the great Andrew Scott, as a sub plot and the film has the unenviable task of trying to compete with a very well regarded and award winning tale.

Fortunately the film is able to steer its own path due, in no small part, to the direction and the performances. The director chooses a number of stylistic touches to engage the audiences. Split screen is used extensively to convey conflict and emotion. The use of the school colours as a divider is a nice touch as well. An essay writing competition is used as the framing device for the story. Again, it is something that has been previously used to great effect but feels natural here. The occasional monologue never feels intrusive or expositional.

Although the story touches on a number of serious issues such as bullying, homosexuality and meeting parental expectations there is a decidedly light tone to large parts of the film. Ned is never really seen to be bullied. He references episodes in the past but now seems to be left to his own devices. He has an initial purpose and that is to just get through the year and he seems content with his lot until the complication of a new friend is introduced. Caring about someone changes everything for him.

Conor is the opposite in terms of mood. He is sullen and withdrawn initially. Issues with his father which played a part in his expulsion from his previous school set his frame of mind. Sport is seen a release for his tensions. As he grows more confident in his friendship with Ned we see a change in him. For one his smiles, something that had been missing for the first twenty minutes he was on screen. It is when the past and his father returns to his life does he revert to the previous shell like state.

The best performance comes from Andrew Scott as Mr Sherry. He is an English teacher who has a bit of passion about him. With the school’s emphasis on rugby the academic side is not as highly regarded. English was always seen as of less importance. What Sherry brings is passion and enthusiasm. For him it is all about opening minds and nurturing the individual. The direct opposite to the team mentality of the ruby coach and his senior players. The performance from Scott captures the nuance and frustration of working in such an environment. When it is discovered that by Conor that Sherry is gay it adds an extra dimension to the role. There is a touching and rather awkward scene where the teacher and pupil have to try to talk about what they both know. For a man who is supposed to be good with words and communication he is a real mess.

Overall, an engaging watch that successfully covers familiar ground.

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John McArthur

Editor-in-Chief at Moviescramble. A Fan of all things cinematic with a love of Film Noir, Sci-Fi and Julia Roberts in Notting Hill. He hopes to grow up some day.