''The Boy from Mercury'' (1996) is an Irish film, the debut of writer and director Martin Duffy. The film concerns the science-fiction daydreams of a young boy in 1960

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

. Upon release, the film received international critical acclaim, and several awards, though was commercially unsuccessful. It was the first time actors

Rita Tushingham Rita Tushingham (born 14 March 1942) is an English actress. She is known for her starring roles in films including ''A Taste of Honey'' (1961), ''The Leather Boys'' (1964), '' The Knack ...and How to Get It'' (1965), ''Doctor Zhivago'' (1965), ...

and

Tom Courtenay Sir Thomas Daniel Courtenay (; born 25 February 1937) is an English actor. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Courtenay achieved prominence in the 1960s with a series of acclaimed film roles, including ''The Loneliness of ...

had appeared on screen together since ''

Doctor Zhivago ''Doctor Zhivago'' is the title of a novel by Boris Pasternak and its various adaptations. Description The story, in all of its forms, describes the life of the fictional Russian physician and poet Yuri Zhivago Yuri Andreievich Zhivago is the ...

'' thirty years earlier. The film was also the debut of the Irish actor James Hickey. The book of the making of the film, '' The Road to Mercury'', written by the director and released in 2006 by Ogma Press.

Cast

Hugh O'Conor Hugh O'Conor (born 19 April 1975) is an Irish actor, writer, director, and photographer. In 2020, he was listed as number 49 on ''The Irish Times'' list of Ireland's greatest film actors. Career His first film appearance was opposite Liam Neeso ...

* James Hickey

Release

The film opened on 5 screens in Ireland on 6 December 1996 and grossed

IR£ The pound (Irish: ) was the currency of the Republic of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217 code was IEP, and the symbol was £ (or IR£ for distinction). The Irish pound was replaced by the euro on 1 January 1999. Euro currency did not begin ...

3,806 in its first week.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boy from Mercury 1996 films 1996 drama films Films about children Films about families Films about school violence Films set in 1960 Films set in Ireland Irish drama films English-language Irish films 1990s English-language films