A Boy Called Dad (15)

Reviewed,Anthony Quinn
Friday 30 April 2010 00:00 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

This drama of reluctant fatherhood is basically a two-hander between a 14-year-old tearaway (Kyle Ward) and his feckless gambler of a dad (Ian Hart), who re-enters his life almost by accident.

It's a film of two halves, the first set in the drearier reaches of the Wirral peninsula, the second in an unspecified pastoral landscape where the teenage boy goes on the run. Hart and Ward impress as the warring father and son, but Julie Rutterford's screenplay, sincere though it is, doesn't work hard enough to find alternatives to the cliched.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in