Handsome Devil (film)


Handsome Devil is a 2016 Irish comedy-drama film directed by John Butler. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.
It centres around an ostracised teenager at an elite, rugby-obsessed, all-boys boarding school in Ireland modelled on Castleknock and Blackrock, whose new roommate is the school's new rugby star-player. The two form an unlikely friendship until it is tested by those around them. The film features themes of homosexuality, while examining the hypocrisy and snobbery of the Irish private school system. Handsome Devil received critical acclaim, winning the award for Best Irish Feature of 2017 from the Dublin Film Critics' Circle; four nominations at the 2018 Irish Film and Television Academy Awards, including Best Feature Film; and the Best Single Drama Award at the annual Celtic Media Festival in 2018.

Plot

The film is set at an elite rugby-obsessed all boys boarding school in Ireland modelled on Castleknock and Blackrock, and is seen through the eyes of Ned, an ostracised student at the school. He seems to be the only student there who does not enjoy rugby. A new student arrives at the school, Conor, who is Ned's roommate and a star rugby player. Though the two are initially wary of each other, they soon form a close friendship, with a particular interest in music. The new English teacher, Mr. Sherry, also arrives at the school, who, though stern, is encouraging towards Ned and Conor. It is revealed throughout the film that the school generally encourages homophobic behaviour, particularly by the students and the rugby coach, Pascal.
During a night out celebrating with the rugby team, Conor sees Mr. Sherry with his male partner and understands that he is gay. At the same time, Ned realizes that Conor himself is gay after seeing him going into a gay club. Pascal sees the two of them talking with each other and becomes worried that Mr. Sherry's influence will have a negative effect on Conor, his most valuable player.
Ned and Conor decide to perform a musical piece at the local elementary school's variety show, at the encouragement of Mr. Sherry. Pascal and the rest of the rugby team find out that Conor was kicked out of his former school for repeatedly getting into fights with those who discovered that he was gay, and uses it as blackmail, insinuating that if he does not pick different friends, his secret will be revealed. As a result, Conor does not turn up to the variety show performance, leaving Ned emotionally hurt. Ned turns up to an event with the rugby team, where Conor shoves him away in front of the entire team.
Angry and frustrated, during a rugby rally, Ned outs Conor in front of the entire school. Ned is expelled and Conor runs away.
As the final match approaches, Conor is still missing. Ned knows where to find him and brings him back to the stadium, where they convince Pascal that he can still be gay and a good rugby player, and that Conor is not ashamed of his sexuality, despite that being the case in the past. The film ends with the team winning the final of the Leinster Schools Senior Cup and Ned returning to the school and winning the English writing competition using the story of his and Conor's friendship.

Cast

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 83% based on 46 reviews, with an average rating of 6.59/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Handsome Devil offers a charming, well-acted variation on the coming-of-age story with a few fresh topical twists." Metacritic gives the film a weighted average rating of 60 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryRecipientResult
2017Dublin Film Critics Circle AwardsBest Irish Feature FilmHandsome Devil
2017Dublin International Film FestivalBest Irish FeatureJohn Butler
2017FilmOut San Diego LGBT Film FestivalBest ActorFion O'Shea
2017FilmOut San Diego LGBT Film FestivalBest Narrative FeatureJohn Butler
2017FilmOut San Diego LGBT Film FestivalBest CinematographyCathal Watters
2017Outflix Film FestivalBest Foreign FeatureJohn Butler
2017Seattle International Film FestivalFuturewave Youth Jury Award - Best Feature FilmJohn Butler
201815th Irish Film and Television AwardsBest FilmRebecca O'Flanaganrowspan="4"
201815th Irish Film and Television AwardsBest FilmRobert Walpole-
201815th Irish Film and Television AwardsBest FilmClaire McCaughley-
201815th Irish Film and Television AwardsBest FilmSarah Gunn-
201815th Irish Film and Television AwardsBest DirectorJohn Butler
201815th Irish Film and Television AwardsBest ScreenplayJohn Butler
201815th Irish Film and Television AwardsBest Actor in a Leading Role - FilmFionn O'Shea
201815th Irish Film and Television AwardsRising Star AwardFionn O'Shea
201815th Irish Film and Television AwardsBest Actor in a Supporting Role - FilmAndrew Scott
2018Celtic Media FestivalIreland Single Drama Handsome Devil