The Butcher Boy (1997 film)

The Butcher Boy
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Neil Jordan
Screenplay by	Patrick McCabe Neil Jordan
Based on	The Butcher Boy by Patrick McCabe
Produced by	Redmond Morris Stephen Woolley
Starring	Stephen Rea Fiona Shaw Eamonn Owens
Cinematography	Adrian Biddle
Edited by	Tony Lawson
Music by	Elliot Goldenthal
Production company	The Geffen Film Company
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	13 July 1997 (1997-07-13)
Running time	110 minutes
Country	Ireland
Language	English
Box office	$5 million

The Butcher Boy is a 1997 Irish black comedy film directed by Neil Jordan. The film was based on Patrick McCabe’s 1992 novel of the same name and McCabe co-wrote the screenplay with Jordan.^[1]

Set in the early 1960s, The Butcher Boy is about Francie Brady (Eamonn Owens), a 12-year-old boy who retreats into a violent fantasy world to escape the reality of his dysfunctional family; as his circumstances worsen, his sanity deteriorates and he begins acting out, with increasing brutality. The film won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival in 1998 and a Special Mention for Owens "astonishing lead". It also won the European Film Award for Best Cinematographer for Adrian Biddle.

The Butcher Boy was the final film produced by The Geffen Film Company until 2024's Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and was released before the original company was folded into Warner Bros. in 1998. In addition, it was also Sinéad O'Connor's final feature film before her death in 2023.