Boys will be boys in Here are the Young Men, where the dark side of early adulthood is explored in millennial Ireland. Cool girl Anya Taylor-Joy overshadows a trio of troubled friends in this coming of age tale that hints at some truly dark and disturbing possibilities but comes up frustratingly short.
Three Irish lads leave school without much of a plan for the future, except for engaging in one last hedonistic summer of fun. The watershed moment in the film takes place then the boys witness a horrible accident. This tragedy triggers increasingly aberrant behavior in the group. Finn Cole (Peaky Blinders) in a complex performance that drives the story forward, plays the unhinged Kearney. Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (Sing Street) is heart-rending as the nihilistic Rez, and Dean-Charles Chapman (1917) as Matthew is more the unwilling follower of the group, who finds himself making an increasing number of bad choices.
Based on the acclaimed novel by Rob Doyle, and adapted by writer-director Eoin Macken, the film is a familiar examination of young male self-destruction. Packed with drugs and violence and drinking, we do get some intense imagery from Macken. Unfortunately, much of that comes in the form of fantasy sequences involving a stylized, gruesome TV show. These scenes are somewhat forced and repetitive. I'm not sure this obvious satire really lands the way the director intended. Creative lighting and in-your-face moments are present, but the movie lacks focus and could have used a heavier hand in the editing room.
Here are the Young Men benefits immensely from Taylor-Joy's presence. As smart, sexy Jen, she shines as the moral compass of the story. Fans looking for any new work from her before Last Night in Soho or The Northman will not be disappointed in her performance here. Her relationship with Matthew gives the plot a few sweet moments. (This movie was filmed in 2018, before her peak in popularity, and Macken is Anya's ex-boyfriend, so that explains her appearance in this Irish indie.)
Overall, this is not a "bad" film. The 2000s were a period of rapid cultural change, and that setting is ideal for this story that dwells on the nature and consequences of toxic masculinity. Macken had a very talented group of young actors in a film with nothing very original to say, and that is sometimes a bit of a mixed bag. You can see that he was trying hard to turn this movie into something special, but he just couldn't quite get there.
Patricia Pirillo