The true story of boys being sexually abused at their orphanage ran by a religious community in Newfoundland.The true story of boys being sexually abused at their orphanage ran by a religious community in Newfoundland.The true story of boys being sexually abused at their orphanage ran by a religious community in Newfoundland.
- Awards
- 12 wins & 5 nominations
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaScenes of nude boys taking showers were cut out when the film aired on U.S. TV.
- GoofsAt the beginning of the film during the mass, the altar boy pours the wine and water into the chalice. This is a task for the priest, the other boy would not do this.
- Quotes
[during a drunken party with the other Brothers]
Brother Glackin: I vow and promise to protect every living thing that God has put on this earth. I'll protect *butterflies* and flowers. Children rich and poor. Hmph. I'll even protect CRAB LICE!
[uproarious laughter while Brother MacLaverty leaves in disgust]
Brother Glackin: Any and every living and non-living thing.
[more laughter]
Brother Glackin: I'll protect the bones of dead relatives and the insects that feed on them.
[more uproarious laughter]
Brother Glackin: Ha Ha. I vow. I vow. I VOW! I VOW!
- Alternate versionsOriginally produced for television; released unrated in theaters in the US and broadcast in a edited version on cable TV.
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 TV Miniseries (2014)
The story falls into two parts, first offering a portrait of St. Vincent, a Catholic orphanage for boys, as it existed in the early 1970s; then presenting a portrait of the various characters some fifteen years later as the original accusations of child molestation and abuse result in a high profile court case. The film focuses on a number of characters, but most particularly on Henry Czerny, who begins the film as Brother Lavin of St. Vincent--a truly dangerous pedophile who uses his position to sate his desires while also looking the other way re abuse of children by other Brothers at the orphanage. When the scandal at last breaks around him, it is quickly hushed up by the authorities, and Lavin leaves the church. Some fifteen years later he is a respected businessman, a husband, and the father of two sons when the long-forgotten and covered-up case begins to explode relentlessly in the public eye.
The cast is truly amazing here, chief among them Henry Czerny as Lavin, who creates a truly multi-layered portrait of a man at once pitiful but both vicious and dangerous. Equally amazing are the cast of children and their adult counterparts in the latter half of the film, most particularly Johnny Morina and Sebastian Spence, who play the role of Kevin as a child and an adult respectively.
Perhaps the single most impressive accomplishment of the film is the delicate balancing act director Smith achieves, a stance which does not attack the Catholic Church as an institution but which relentlessly exposes the corruption that can exist within it. The film does contain some child nudity, all of it "back shots," and while some may find this in questionable taste it is all carefully filmed and not explotational--and indeed has the effect of further demonstrating the innocence of the children while emphasizing the evil of those who abuse them.
Painful as the film it is, I cannot recommend it too strongly. It should be seen by every responsible adult, not simply for the artistry involved in its presentation, but for the warning it offers. A must see.
Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer
- gftbiloxi
- Apr 9, 2005
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $204,540