Good To The Last Drop
Intense performances, twisted comedy and absurdist humor highlight director Benjamin Ross' 'The Young Poisoner's Handbook'
By Dina Gachman
Daily Bruin Contributor
Imagine if "Taxi Driver" and "Dead Ringers" crossed paths. The result would be a film of beautiful complexity and almost absurdist horror. This mixture shades British director Benjamin Ross' disturbing feature debut, "The Young Poisoner's Handbook."
Not to suggest that Ross' film merely rehashes classics. It doesn't. Ross creates a thoroughly original and effective story that shares "Dead Ringers'" exploration of genius gone wrong, and "Taxi Driver's" view of an individual destroyed by the hypocrisy of society. But these themes are where the comparisons end.
"The Young Poisoner's Handbook" is a portrait of British schoolboy Graham Young (Hugh O'Conor) whose obsession for chemistry leads him on a quest to create a diamond out of a powder called Antimony. When this fails, Graham's quest, and his mind, take another turn. Repulsed by his phony, shallow family and English society, Graham is driven to practice his scientific tests on humans - and the results are deadly.
Ross loosely based the screenplay, which he co-wrote with Jeff Rawle, on the true story of Graham Young, who was convicted of murder for chemical experiments similar to those in the film. The writers fictionalized much of the story (which is told from Graham's point of view) adding an almost psychedelic dimension of dream sequences, warped delusions and frightening realities. The writing is exceptional, and Graham's eerily calm narration intensifies the horror of his descent into madness.
The darkest corners of Graham's twisted mind are revealed not only through the writing, but by the powerful, intricate performance of Irish actor O'Conor ("My Left Foot"). His wide, unblinking eyes and painfully restrained emotions give the character the dual appearance of a psychotic killer and a sensitive, tortured child. O'Conor possesses a startlingly intense presence on camera. Throughout the film his pale, thin body is wrapped in a black coat, ironically resembling a sinister lab coat. And when Graham enters the mental institution, his withered figure seems to shrink farther and farther into this dark covering.
Ross' portrayal of the hypocrisy in Graham's family and of English institutions reveal his' talent as a director. He presents the family in an almost comical, absurd light. The women's faces are smeared with blue and pink make-up; the men are harsh, cruel and abusive. There is a scene where Graham's stepmother (played by Ruth Sheen) frantically brushes her teeth to destroy the breath that her husband says "smells like death." Graham walks in on her to find that her gums are bleeding, and her mouth dripping blood. Her expression is pitiful and grotesque. It's in moments like this that the director's perception of human nature comes through. You get the sense that Graham is not the only one who is disturbed.
The other members of Graham's family give equally convincing, though less enigmatic performances - Charlotte Coleman ("Four Weddings and a Funeral") as the uncaring, petty older sister, Winnie; and Roger Lloyd Pack as Graham's detached, abusive father.
But it is not so much the acting that characterizes "The Young Poisoner's Handbook" as a unique creation (with the exception of O'Conor's brilliant work), but Ross' skill as a director. The film is not perfect - there is some sloppy editing and the music sounds misplaced at times - but Ross' vision of a young genius' disturbed mind is at once poetic and horrifying. "The Young Poisoner's Handbook" should not be passed up. Grade: A
FILM: "The Young Poisoner's Handbook." Directed by Benjamin Ross. Starring Hugh O'Conor, Charlotte Coleman, Roger Lloyd Pack, Ruth Sheen and Antony Sher. Produced by Sam Taylor.
Hugh O'Conor descends into madness in "The Young Poisoner's Handbook."
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