Buddy Boy
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| Buddy Boy | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Mark Hanlon |
| Written by | Mark Hanlon |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Hubert Taczanowski |
| Edited by | Hughes Winborne |
| Music by | |
| Distributed by | Fine Line Features |
Release dates | |
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Buddy Boy is a 1999 psychological thriller film written and directed by Mark Hanlon and starring Aidan Gillen, Emmanuelle Seigner and Susan Tyrrell. The film premiered at the 56th Venice International Film Festival.
Rex Reed of The New York Observer called it "a curious, unsettling, darkly conceived and absolutely fascinating little film. Not since Roman Polanski at the pinnacle of his European weirdness have I seen a film this strange and riveting."[2]
The film's title character, Francis, lives with his invalid, abusive mother Sal in a dingy tenement apartment, and has suffered a life of unrelenting misfortune and brutality, further impacted by a stutter. Over time, he has withdrawn from the world and into himself, silently observing others rather than interacting with them. His only solace has been his Catholic faith, but he has begun to question his belief in a loving God who could countenance so much evil and pain.
When he discovers he can see into the apartment of Gloria from his own back stairs, Francis cannot stop watching her, even after he meets her and they become romantically involved. Unable or unwilling to believe that she could actually love him, he becomes ever more obsessive in his voyeurism. And it is what Francis sees – or thinks he sees – that leads ultimately to his undoing.
Cast
- Aidan Gillen as Francis
- Emmanuelle Seigner as Gloria
- Susan Tyrrell as Sal
- Mark Boone Junior as Vic
- Harry Groener as Father Gillespie
