FOLLOWING ON FROM last year’s huge successes for Irish cinema in the shape of Sing Street and The Young Offenders, John Butler’s Handsome Devil was supposed to be this year’s coming-of-age comedy/drama to enthral.
And it didn’t disappoint when it was released in Irish cinemas, becoming a critical hit back in April.
The film tells the story of Conor and Ned – two boys in a rugby-obsessed boarding school in Dublin. From the outside, they appear to be complete opposites, but develop a friendship after being forced to share a room.
Examining aspects of school bullying and the macho culture surrounding schools rugby, Fionn O’Shea and Nicholas Galitzine star as the two kids at the centre of the drama
Following the boys’ developing relationship, The Guardian praised Handsome Devil as an “Irish LGBT coming-of-age story”:
It’s completely disarming – a warm, reassuring hug of a film that should be shown to every confused kid trying to piece together their identity.
And the international acclaim didn’t stop there, with The Hollywood Reporter singling out the film’s nuance and expert examination of school dynamics for teenagers who are gay:
Winning performances from Fionn O’Shea and Nicholas Galitzine as odd-couple pals, plus nuanced work from a terrific Andrew Scott as a man who practices what he preaches by stepping out from the shadows, make this a feel-good “It Gets Better” tale that should speak to young audiences — LGBT teens in particular.
It features Andrew Scott in brilliant form as inspirational teacher Dan Sherry – seen here throwing books around the classroom like all inspirational movie teachers should
Amy Huberman and Ardal O’Hanlon round out a stellar support cast of “adults” throughout.
But the relationship between O’Shea and Galitzine is what makes Handsome Devil a must watch
And luckily enough, Netflix has just announced that it’s coming to the platform around the world two weeks from today, July 20.
So, any Irish Netflix user can tuck into it then.
Its importance goes far beyond that of a regular school comedy with sdgln.com calling it the “gay feel-good movie of the year” and Andrew Scott has spoken about how it was important to tackle the topic of anti-homophobic bullying in school.
Back in June, director John Butler shared an email he received from a parent saying that Handsome Devil had helped their son come out
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Excellent.
Now even more people can enjoy it when it hits Netflix this month <3
