62. The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1996) - Dir. Benjamin Ross
Graham Young, like many adolescent boys, is a bit aloof, stubborn, and totally self-involved in his own little world. He and his family live a totally normal, ho-hum, suburban, existence in a small British town, in a nondescript, somewhat drab, house. He is also interested in the sciences, chemistry in particular, and dreams of unearthing a secret crystal through experimentation with the element thallium. But instead, when his experiments backfire - crushing his dreams in the process - he discovers a deeply rooted crack in his own psyche and devotes his life to the practical applications of poison. He draws his step-mother, sister, and co-workers into his own twisted game of chemical-atrocities, and decides that he, would some day, like to be the world's poisoner.
Benjamin Ross's, The Young Poisoner's Handbook, is a comedy so pitch-black that one might feel more than a little guilty laughing at the absurd and caustic tale; doubly so given the fact that the film is, indeed, based upon a true story. Ross handles Graham's maddening descent into the toxic-wonderland with glee and panache, and crafts a film so totally memorable it is nigh impossible to strip the often appalling imagery from the mind. With a series of delectable musical cues, and pitch-perfect editing by Anne Sopel, the film bops along with a seemingly carefree rhythm and oddly whimsical aesthetic. Bouts of nervous laughter are sure to erupt during any number of the nuanced, expertly crafted sequences detailing Graham's despicable human experimentation.
Young is played, in perfect fashion, by Hugh O'Conor. O'Conor's portrayal of Young is haunting, and eerily authentic. It is easy to imagine his real life friends being apprehensive about accepting cups of tea from him at social functions. His piercing eyes, sharp nose, and terse lips combine to form a face epitomizing cold and calculated, while his soft voice and reassuring demeanor invite his unwary victims into his venomous spider web. However, he also possesses an innocence, or at last the traces of an innocence lost, and has rare fits of clarity when true remorse shines forth. That we can see a small inkling of righteousness, perhaps only the size of a pinhead in a large pool of tar, gives us the ability to hope for redemption, and feel pain when he falters. It is a nuanced performance, and one that O'Conor balances with precision and the control of a more seasoned actor.
The act of poisoning is one of great manipulation and power. To offer someone something as innocuous as a cup of tea, or a spoonful of medicine, and to have them take it, represents the most basic functionality of trust - one party gives, the other receives, all in good faith. To knowingly betray this trust by tainting the tea or medicine with a toxic substance, and to possess the ability to watch as the victim partakes of the substance, must take an almost superhuman lack of empathy and basic compassion. And then, to continue to take advantage of this charade, this false sense of trust, days, weeks, and months on end, all while keeping a detailed notebook of the effects of the poison, must take an even more superhuman ability to turn off all receptors to any kind of humanity. That Graham Young is a real person, one who possesses such superhuman abilities, is a frightening thing to contemplate.
Benjamin Ross's film is a unique experience. It is truly a wonderful film that remains utterly fascinating, engrossing, and entertaining all while focusing on a truly messed up character. However, Ross does not paint Graham Young with broad and easy strokes. He does not show Young as a misunderstood genius, trying to elicit pangs of guilt from the audience, nor does he show Young as a stereotypical psychopath, he is not simply a construct of genre convention. It is interesting, and endlessly brave, that Ross does not take a stand - he does not condemn, or make light of Young's predicament. For these reasons, the film was met with a bit of hostility in its home country, and, for these very same reasons, it is also an enrapturing, passionate film that preys upon humanity's morbid curiosities.
