THE YOUNG POISONER'S HANDBOOK
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.0 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
UK/Germany, 1994 U.S. Release Date: Spring 1996 (limited) Running Length: 1:39 MPAA Classification: No MPAA Rating (Violence, mature themes, vomit) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Cast: Hugh O'Conor, Anthony Sher, Ruth Sheen, Roger Lloyd Pack, Charlotte Coleman Director: Benjamin Ross Producer: Sam Taylor Screenplay: Jeff Rawle and Benjamin Ross Cinematography: Hubert Taczanowski U.S. Distributor: C/FP Distribution
The time is the late 1960s. The place is Great Britain. If this setting somehow doesn't seem quite real, it's because we're seeing it through the eyes of Graham Young, a teenage boy who wants to become history's most accomplished poisoner. As defined by the courts, Graham is an incurable psychopath, and, as portrayed in Benjamin Ross' deliciously malicious debut feature, he hasn't got a heart. Thus, our perspective of events, which is filtered through Graham's point-of-view, is cold, clinical, and, occasionally, downright disturbing.
Based on a real-life case, THE YOUNG POISONER'S HANDBOOK is the blackest of black comedies. None of the humor is of the laugh-aloud variety, but the script drips with acidic irony, and there are moments of clever, quirky comedy that are easily appreciated on an intellectual level. THE YOUNG POISONER'S HANDBOOK rarely engages the emotions, but empathy with Graham isn't what Ross is aiming for. In fact, had we felt anything for the main character, it would have disrupted the director's delicate balance of horror, comedy, and social parody.
The world according to Graham Young (memorably portrayed by Hugh O'Conor) is a strange place. To the 14-year old, it's populated by a series of bizarre caricatures, and the only feeling he can muster for any of them is contempt. His stepmother (Ruth Sheen) and father (Roger Lloyd Pack) are uncaring buffoons, and his sister, Winnie (Charlotte Coleman) suffers from excessive narcissism. Graham starts tinkering with chemistry because, in his words, "Life is a series of illusions that only a scientist could strip away." When he begins putting antimony sulfide in his vials, he's trying to make a diamond, but the inadvertent byproduct of this experiment, a lethal toxin, intrigues Graham more than any sparkling gem could have.
Soon, Graham has poisoned his mother. Keeping a meticulously- detailed diary of her day-by-day progress, he charts her improvements and relapses as he decreases and increases her dosages (he puts it in the medicine that's supposed to cure her). Eventually, she dies, and, when Graham tries to repeat the experiment with his father, the police catch him. He's committed to an institution for the criminally insane, where, after several years of intense psychotherapy, he is deemed fit to re-enter society. However, it's only a matter of time before Graham is again seduced by the poisonous lure of a skull-and-crossbones marked bottle.
When it's on target, as it is during most of the first and last half-hours, THE YOUNG POISONER'S HANDBOOK is fascinating, lively, and (admittedly) slightly sick. But it also makes a pointed statement about how men in the criminal justice system, when assuming the role of God, can make horrible mistakes simply because they can't conceive of ever being wrong. Graham Young is a case in point. He never should have been let out of the mental hospital, but, because a doctor (Antony Sher) pronounces him cured, he is released.
THE YOUNG POISONER'S HANDBOOK sags noticeably in the middle. The sequences featuring Graham in the hospital aren't compelling, and the young man's supposedly-legitimate conversion from heartless manipulator to model prisoner feels artificial. Graham's relationship with another parent-killing prisoner comes across as flat.
THE YOUNG POISONER'S HANDBOOK is designed to keep the audience off- balance, and that's exactly what it does. As presented here, Graham isn't worth caring about, but he provides the perfect filter for Ross' exploration of life's macabre side. More than anything else, THE YOUNG POISONER'S HANDBOOK can be appreciated for its grotesque satire. Be warned, however: those without a taste for this sort of thing will find themselves unpleasantly surprised by the toxic manner in which this picture develops.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net web: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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