91Èȱ¬

Song For A Raggy Boy sings a very familiar tune. Centred on a liberal teacher (Aiden Quinn) who aims to change the ways of a repressive all-boys Irish Reformatory School, it's a hybrid of Dead Poets Society and The Magdalene Sisters, with some Nicholas Nickleby thrown in for good measure. Clichés abound and there's a short supply of surprises, but Aisling Walsh's period drama has compassion, conviction and a stack of strong performances. And as Dead Poets clones go, its broad brushstrokes are more vivid than those of Mona Lisa Smile.

When Spanish Civil War veteran William Franklin (Aidan Quinn) arrives at the Catholic establishment in 1939, he's greeted with a chilling caution from the pitiless Brother John (Iain Glen): "The creatures you are going to teach are not to be confused with intelligent human beings." William, of course, has other ideas, addressing the lads by their names, not their designated numbers, and fostering literacy. Outside his classroom, however, the boys' dehumanisation continues, in scenes that echo Peter Mullan's unflinching expose of Ireland's Magdalene Laundries.

"EYE-CATCHINGLY SOMBRE"

Yet the film spares as much room for sentiment as savagery, kicking off with a bleached wartime flashback, but ending up with a sugary replay of a climactic tribute once paid to Robin Williams by his poetry-loving pupils. It's a bum note for Song to finish on, but just about forgivable in the light of the picture's finer qualities, including its focused fury at institutionalised brutality, eye-catchingly sombre photography and assured acting. The unselfconscious child thesps impress more than most Hollywood brats, while Quinn (Oirish accent aside) is the best he's been in yonks, conveying warmth, integrity and affecting sorrow. Even so, it's Glen who haunts the memory most, his fascist cleric offering as terrifying a portrait of power-abuse as any you're likely to see.