Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Don't listen to the negative reviews

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Broadcast on UK terrestrial TV for the first time last weekend, in the early hours of the morning, *My Brother Tom* sums up where the ailing FilmFour went wrong: while admirably uncompromising, the film manages to be both histrionic and flat at the same time, its depiction of doomed teens in perverted suburbia ratcheted to pure absurdity and never managing to convey any greater purpose other than to be grim for the same of it. It's no surprise that the film was virtually ignored on its cinema release - who were its intended audience? The saving graces are the fabulously committed lead performances, particularly Ben Whishaw as 'Tom'. Unsurprisingly, the film has led to better things for him: it's easy to see why Trevor Nunn picked him to play a young Hamlet on the London stage recently.

One of the most moving and hard hitting films I have seen in a long while. It deals with issues very rarely brought to the film going audience. The topic of abuse is the thread that holds the screen play together, and it is an issue that is used without it being sugar coated for the audience. At times I felt that I should not be watching; I felt that I was trespassing on something private and unseen. Though the camera work is shaky and the film so dark as to seem almost black and white this adds and I believe does not detract from the overall message.'My Brother Tom' is neither enjoyable or entertaining to watch. Rotheroe does the same as Tim Roth does in 'The War Zone'; he broaches issues that deserve a representation in celluloid. I recommend strongly that you see this film but do not expect an easy movie experience, instead expect to shocked by realities that you would rather less confront.

Films like this scare the s**t out of me. I thought it was all a bit seedy with the naked dancing in the woods, the tree filled with bible pages, the self harm and the forceful teacher. But when the dad opens his flies to his son you know there is something seriously disturbing about the film. Along with this there is the fact that Tom talks like a toddler and misses out necessary words in his sentences, and the fact he likes chucking himself from trees and falls over every few minutes just for the crack...as do all abused teenagers I'm sure.The makers of the film also only seem to know one scene transition, fade to bright light, which I'll admit is effective, but it's no Starwipe thats for sure.Aside from the aforementioned disturbing stuff I found the film to be fairly strong and almost uplifting in places to see two people who have had a crap time of things find a sort of happiness with each other, though this is shattered eventually. The funeral scene is also fairly strong and well done, however I find it hard to believe that a teenage girl could move a 6ft + coffin with a dead weight in it with such ease.A stellar performance from Monsieur hedgehog as well who awoke us all to the pitch cry of the pained hedgehog. It struck me that it would have been hilarious when Tom puts the hedgehog out of his misery if he'd of gone "Oh s**t he's stuck in my foot!" and hopped around for a while.Overall I give this film 6 out of 10 as it loses marks for being disturbing and for not having any automatic weaponry or busty women.In conclusion...stop falling in the lake...you'll catch cold...and fade to bright light.

Cheap and manipulative. This film has no heart.It's also got dire dialogue, unconvincing characters and a preposterous, or rather non-existent, story. It just lurches from bad to worse in a cynical effort to wrench some kind of emotion from an insincere and unengaging hysterion-afest!And the HEDGEHOG!!!!How many cheap shots can a film take? The hedgehog, by the way, gave the most convincing and watchable performance in this ninety-minute cringe-athon.If you have considered watching this film, don't. I'm sorry but I cannot find a single redeeming feature to this movie. It scores a big, fat ZERO with me. Strictly for sub-Dogma knicker-wetters. Yawneroony!Still, if you liked Dancing In The Dark...