The Young Poisoner's Handbook

In the early 1960s in a London suburb: 14-year-old Graham (Hugh O’Conor), highly intelligent but deeply amoral, dreams of becoming a famous toxicologist. But first, he must find suitable guinea pigs for his homemade poison concoctions. And what could be more natural than to test the deadly concoctions on those closest to the young amateur chemist, yet those who understand him the least: his family and friends? After the black comedy won the top prize at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival, the performance of the then 19-year-old Irish actor Hugh O’Conor was particularly praised upon its release. His interplay of emptiness and intensity, which makes the teenager Graham appear both seductive and monstrous, led to comparisons with the young Dennis Hopper. “A film based on a true story that tells its macabre tale with dark humor and biting jabs at English bourgeois narrow-mindedness. With an especially impressive performance in the lead role, the film also captivates with an extraordinary soundtrack that evokes classic American thrillers without copying them.” (Lexikon des Internationalen Films)