Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

This film kept getting pushed down to the bottom of my 'to watch' list, but I'm really glad that I got to it in the end.It was refreshing to see a teenage pregnancy story that took us out of grimy (sub)urban life, instead offering expansive views of country and coastline. So although many of the themes were difficult and at times harrowing, these extreme wide shots gave us a bit of room to breathe.This film also took us away from the female, or more accurately, the mother, which again is unusual for a story dealing with teenage pregnancy. Robbie's mum is always kept at a distance and behind a barrier, such as at the end of an unanswered phone. Subsequent to his rapid conception and birth, baby Elliot's mum is only seen walking in the background now and again. This allowed the film to effectively focus on father-son relationships spanning four generations.However, this focus on the father figure almost left me craving a little feminine input, if only for the sake of balance. Luckily, the film delivered on this through the initially mute character, Nia, who has a story to tell and eventually manages to tell it.Another interesting aspect to do with storytelling is the portrayal of the media. The newspaper headlines and TV snippets paint the picture of a dangerous, possibly armed menace. The film will then cut to young Robbie lovingly taking care of his child, thus undermining this face-of-evil built up by the media. We're reminded that this is about an individual on a journey.After recurring references to drowning and water, Robbie's journey unsurprisingly culminates in a cliff edge. As with all ambiguous endings, I have an ambiguous response. Half of me applauds the film for ending with such suspense. The other half just wants to know what happened...

When he becomes a father at the tender age of 14, Robbie's life quickly spirals out of control. Feeling angry and neglected by his own dad, he starts a series of events that will catapult him at great speed into adulthood.....Even though the first five minutes had me fooled into thinking that this could have been some kind of Shane meadows type comedy, this has an air of gloom from the off-start.But even though this feeling stays with the film right until the very last frame, it's a good story, told with a very truthful tone throughout, and with some outstanding performances from the central characters.The first act is the bonding segment between father and Son, which is very sweet and Jolly, but if you notice throughout this part of the film, the weather becomes increasingly dull and cold, and this indicates the decline of the boys attitude.The film from there on has a really dark sympathetic side to it. Even though the boy has done something bad, you do in some weird way wish him well on his journey, in the sense that he looks after the child well.like i've already said, it's a solid movie, but thoroughly depressing.

A Boy Called Dad is a truly amazing film about family, love and responsibility.Shot fantastically well with a great realist look, along with some amazing acting performances from Ian Hart and especially from the young Kyle Ward in his first feature film role which at times was very subtle and touching. A true inspiration, this is a brilliant low budget independent UK film which will definitely tug at the heartstrings with an ending which will leave you asking questions. I would recommend adding this touching film to your DVD collection as a guarantee everybody will enjoy it.

Boy Called Dad- How good it was to see a refreshing, moving and relevant British film, something I've not seen since other low budget films like "This is England and Trainspotting". This is a film with a genuine desire to tell a story, convey a message, entertain and educate all with such integrity. The script was imaginative and real, the acting first class with characters we all know from the street round the corner. To see a film that is shot around my own childhood haunts such as the sea front at West Kirby instead of some distant exotic location is exciting and very pleasing. I hope this film launches Made Up North Productions into the mainstream of the British film industry as it should. Well worth a trip to see if you have the chance.