| Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 10, 2003

Liam is largely devoid of emotion. He's a detached, distanced observer, and it's hard for the viewer not to feel the same way.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Nov 6, 2002

| Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 22, 2002

An emotional investment well worth making -- the vision Frears creates is hard, but, even at its bleakest, recognizably human.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 29, 2001

It's been beautifully made with tact and care.

| Oct 12, 2001

Liam is worth seeing, though, to celebrate a director taking risks when he doesn't have to.

Full Review | Oct 9, 2001

One of [Frears'] loveliest, most heartfelt films.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Oct 9, 2001

Beautifully cast and acted, with young Borrows giving a performance as natural as it is heartbreaking.

| Oct 9, 2001

A heartbreakingly beautiful film.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Oct 9, 2001

A vivid, intense evocation of a ... time and place.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Oct 9, 2001

Stephen Frears makes every note count for a lot in this beautifully gauged microcosm of big emotions expressed in small gestures.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 8, 2001

The film is built on strong performances.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 5, 2001

Is this fussy folderol the only way to teach that it's wrong to hate? According to Frears, 'tis.

| Original Score: C+ | Oct 4, 2001

Borrows' Liam -- well, they found the right kid, without a doubt.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 4, 2001

A welcome if somewhat familiar picture.

Full Review | Oct 4, 2001

A strong, shaggy, very perceptive film and also a funny one.

Full Review | Oct 4, 2001

Your heart will ache for the little Liam, who has yet to lose his innocence in the face of unbelievable cruelty.

Full Review | Oct 4, 2001

A sterling-silver ensemble and Stephen Frears' visually sensitive direction lift a familiar, but ultimately potent, 1930s portrait of a Liverpool family.

Full Review | Sep 21, 2001

Complex, heartbreaking, beautifully made.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Sep 21, 2001

Borrows delivers one of those remarkable, pre-adolescent performances that rises from a place so pure it's impossible to criticize.

| Sep 21, 2001