Liam is a 2000 British-German film directed by Stephen Frears and written by novelist/screenwriter Jimmy McGovern. McGovern adapted Joseph Mckeown's novel Back Crack Boy for this emotionally raw meditation on innocence and pain. Frears in turn was influenced by James Joyce's accounts of his stern childhood in late 19th century Catholic Dublin.

This article consists almost entirely of a plot summary. It should be expanded to provide more balanced coverage that includes real-world context. (July 2016)

Liam
Directed by	Stephen Frears
Written by	Jimmy McGovern
Produced by	Colin McKeown Martin Tempia
Starring	Ian Hart Claire Hackett Anne Reid Anthony Borrows Megan Burns
Cinematography	Andrew Dunn
Edited by	Kristina Hetherington
Music by	John Murphy
Production companies	BBC Films Arte
Distributed by	Lionsgate
Release dates	4 September 2000 (2000-09-04) (Venice Film Festival) 23 January 2001 (2001-01-23) (UK)
Running time	91 minutes
Countries	United States United Kingdom Germany Italy France
Box office	$1.9 million[1]

Megan Burns won the Marcello Mastroianni Award at the 57th Venice International Film Festival for her performance.

Plot

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A family falls into poverty during the Depression.

Set in Liverpool in the Great Depression of the 1930s, the story is told through the eyes of a boy, Liam Sullivan. Liam is taking instruction in preparation for his First Communion. His mother is a staunch Roman Catholic. His father loses his job when his shipyard closes. Meanwhile, his sister, Teresa, has become a maid for the Jewish family who own the shipyard.

Liam stutters badly under stress, and his strict religious education does not help. Teresa's mistress is having an affair, and the girl becomes an accomplice. Liam's father joins a group of fascists, who rail against rich Jews and cheap Irish labour. His brother secretly attends meetings with socialists. All of this is a microcosm of a more general breakdown of society.

Life becomes increasingly insecure and people retreat into their own belief systems. This leads to increasing conflict, leading inexorably to a single violent act ^{[clarification needed]}.

Cast

• Ian Hart as Dad
• Claire Hackett as Mum
• Anthony Borrows as Liam
• Megan Burns as Theresa

Reception

The film grossed $91,000 in the United Kingdom.[2] It grossed $1 million in the United States and Canada and $1.9 million worldwide.[1]

References

External links

• Liam at IMDb
• Liam at Rotten Tomatoes
• Salon.com Review: Charles Taylor.
• The Guardian Review: Peter Bradshaw.
• The Chicago Sun-Times Review: Roger Ebert.