Responsible Child

Name: Responsible Child
Director: Nick Holt
Genre: Drama
Released: 2019
Duration: 1 h 30 min
Cast: Billy Barratt, Michelle Fairley, Owen McDonnell, Tom Burke, Stephen Campbell Moore

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Drama

2019
Nick Holt
90 mins
15

Summary

Fact-based drama following the story of Ray, a boy on the cusp of adolescence who is arrested along with his adult brother Nathan for the murder of his mum's abusive partner. With the age of criminal responsibility set at 10, Ray stands trial for murder in an adult courtroom. The film follows both the events leading up to the crime, and the boy's experience of the trial. Starring Billy Barratt, Michelle Fairley, Tom Burke and James Tarpey

IMDB

Review

David Butcher

Raphael, known as Ray, is a quiet kid, mild and angelic-looking. “You’d think the boy had fallen off a cloud,” his solicitor jokes. But Ray and his older brother Nathan are charged with a brutal crime — the murder of their stepfather, stabbed 70 times as he slept. And although Nathan is 23 and Ray only 12, both will be tried in the same court, because in England and Wales children as young as ten are tried for murder as adults.

What that means in practice is spelt out in a disturbing story based (with some changes) on a real-life case. Ray’s home life is sharply sketched: his mum struggles to cope; his stepdad has violent rages; Ray’s only friend and protector is his brother — but that can’t last.

It’s a poignant portrait of a child placed under unbearable pressure — first by conflict at home, then by the harsh machinery of the law.

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7.1/10

How to watch

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Streaming

Netflix

Credits

Cast

rolenameRayBilly BarrattKerryMichelle FairleyPeteOwen McDonnellWilliam RamsdenTom BurkeDr Johann KeatonStephen Campbell MooreNathanJames TarpeyScottShaun DingwallVeronicaDebbie HoneywoodAmber LyndonNatasha JosephJamieTobi BamtefaGaryMatthew AubreyGraceAngela WynterJudge WaldenStephen BoxerSgt LucasTina HarrisKevin (appropriate adult)Neal BarryPathologistNicholas KhanSam DelaneyZita SattarMikeMark StrakerTimJay VilliersFranHeather BleasdaleJury forewomanTor ClarkClerkHasan DixonLiamBuddy SkeltonSerenaKirsten WrightChristieZachary Barnfield

Crew

rolenameWriterSean BuckleyDirectorNick HoltExecutive producerNick HoltProducerElinor DayExecutive producerKaren WilsonExecutive producerKatie McAleese

Details

Released on

2019-12-16

Languages

English

Formats

Colour