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Liam 2000 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Stephen Frears
R, 90 min. (nudity, language) |
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Starring: Ian Hart, Claire Hackett, Anthony Borrows, David Hart, Megan Burns
Producers: Colin McKeown, Martin Tempia
Screenplay: Jimmy McGovern
Distributor: Lions Gate Films
Released: 9/21/01 (Limited) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
Liam is the story of a young boy who must deal with his family's increasing poverty while confronting his own fears brought
on by the Catholic Church's indoctrination by fear policy in 1930 Liverpool, England. Liam uses two related storylines within
the same family to deliver a powerful punch to all those who see its handiwork. On one hand, it's about how racism in the
form of a growing facist movement in England against emigrant workers who were taking their jobs by working for less pay.
On the other hand, it's also a somewhat subjective view of what the Catholic Church of that time did to the fragile psyches of
children - while their techniques may have been effective, it also caused serious mental anguish in some and as a result a
low self-esteem during young adulthood. It's not a indictment against the church, only a question of their methods. This
internal struggle between the stories creates a fascinating snapshot of the lives of the impoverished at the beginning of the Great
Depression.
Liam Sullivan (David Hart) is the youngest child of a father (Ian Hart) who has recently lost his job. Liam's mother (Claire Hackett)
tries to make ends meet by pawning clothes and jewelry while attempting to keep her pride intact. Liam's sister, Theresa (Megan Burns),
also works as a housemaid for a wealthy Jewish family in order to help the family. While the family is crumbling because of
a lack of money, Liam's self-esteem is badly shaken by a stammering tongue and the increasing pressures of the Catholic
Church's demands for an acceptable First Communion. Meanwhile, his father is growing impatient and contemplates joining
the growing Facist movement to counter the growing Communist movement in the city. Eventually, a father's actions will
lead to a pivotal event in the family's history, one that could tear them apart.
Liam is stirring because of the simplicity and unforced candor in its storytelling. There's never a time where the
viewer feels manipulated or subjected to ideological banter that's meant to demonize one side or another. It simply presents
the setting, the players, and the predictable results of that volatile mix. Director Stephen Frears understands that to make
one care about his characters, he must present them individually with frailties and fears identifiable to anyone who's watching.
This results in believable depth to his characters, therefore empowering the film to drive home its main themes.
All of the performances are solid - especially Hart's innocent portrayal of young Liam. Hart has a natural presence on screen
and he uses his limited acting knowledge to impart a visually shaken but transformed child. Ian Hart is also effective as a
father who is driven by pride to the ranks of facists, thereby endangering his own family in the process. Hackett and
Burns also give memorable turns respectively.
Liam is the type of film that requires patience and a willingness to endure slow scenes in order to fully appreciate its payoff
in its final moments. A shocking (although admittedly a somewhat contrived) conclusion is followed by a poignancy that
is representative of the entire film. Liam quickly moves onto the list of can't-miss films for 2001.
© 2002 Jonathan Cornwell
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 |
 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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