The Young Offenders is a classic Irish comedy, with a strong moral didacticism woven neatly underneath the thick layer of stomach-clenching jokes. It’s impossible not to love the two main characters, fifteen-year-olds Jock ad Conor, who have no great ambitions aside from finding a brick of cocaine worth seven million euro to buy a mansion with (amongst other more carnal things). These two twits start out as your average pair of ratbag hooligans, who towards the end have grown to be the same two ratbag hooligans, but with less of the law infringement and more of the brotherhood that bonded them whilst on the run (or on the cycle) from a crazy cycling cop.
The hilarious story takes us across the stunning landscape of sunny southern Ireland – the hills, the long roads, and the winding coast edged by towering mountains constantly under erosion from the battering of the sea. The locations in The Young Offenders are all beautiful, and the high saturation and poignant colours really contrast the unlucky events that challenge our characters on their adventure.
Not only is The Young Offenders funny, but it delves subtly into some serious issues as well, including domestic abuse, alcohol abuse, criminal youth, obsessiveness, drugs, the importance of looking after your elderly parent(s), and the danger of slightly mad handicapped people with access to a nail gun… Each [more serious] issue was explored enough to make the viewer stop and think, and for it to linger in the mind post-credits, but not enough to make you uncomfortable, or to detract from the comedic input – a perfect balance.
The film didn’t have many quiet moments, but I enjoyed that about it. It was nowhere near as fast paced as something like Crank (2006) but the end of each segment would leave a hook just the right size for the viewer to jump at the bait to see what happened next. There was never a boring moment, and I loved the energy and excitement that was in each scene and indeed in each line. Like a book you can’t put down, I was fixed to the screen, and not many films can hold my attention so long for me not to pause it and grab a snack!
The Young Offenders is screening at the Irish Film Festival.
