Based on the novel by Rob Doyle, Here Are The Young Men follows a familiar cast of characters during one destructive summer. Written and Directed by Eoin Macken, the film opens in Dublin at the end of the summer before jumping back two months earlier in June of 2003.
In Here Are The Young Men, when a group of teens witnesses a terrible accident, they each struggle to cope with the experience in different ways. After coming face to face with death, the characters begin to realize exactly what they are capable of as they push boundaries while battling their own inner demons. A constant sense of foreboding permeates the film as it follows the characters through moments of lucidity and drug-induced experiences that sometimes make it difficult to know what is and isn’t real.
Here Are The Young Men is a story about the loss of innocence and coming to terms with one's own mortality. Forced to examine what they value most in their lives, each character must establish their own moral code. Here Are The Young Men stars Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit), Dean Charles Chapman (1917, Game of Thrones), Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (Vikings, Sing Street), and Finn Cole (Peaky Blinders, Slaughterhouse Rulez). The young actors shine in roles quite different from the ones audiences have seen them in before.
Dean-Charles Chapman as Matthew
Dean-Charles Chapman stars as, Matthew, the lead protagonist in this coming-of-age story about the trials and tribulations of modern teen angst set against a backdrop of events with serious - and sometimes dire - consequences. Despite the school principal’s high hopes for the promising young student, Matthew is more interested in getting drunk and high with best friends, Rez and Kearney, than pursuing a college education. But as time goes on, Matthew starts to question his choices and relationships, as he begins to see those closest to him in a new light. Chapman recently earned notoriety for his award-winning performance in 1917. Fans will also recognize him from his role as Tommen Baratheon (and Martyn Lannister) in Game of Thrones.
Anya Taylor-Joy as Jen
Anya Taylor-Joy plays Matthew's high school sweetheart, Jen. Jen's a good influence on Matthew but has to battle with the negative influence Matthew’s friend, Kearney has on him. Most viewers will recognize Taylor-Joy from her breakout role as Beth Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit, one of Netflix's best TV shows of 2020. Taylor-Joy also previously starred in The Witch, The New Mutants, and as the title character in the latest retelling of Jane Austin’s Emma., for which Taylor-Joy earned a Golden Globe Nomination. Here Are The Young Men showcases another one of Taylor-Joy’s talents - singing.
Ferdia Walsh-Peelo as Rez
In Here Are The Young Men, Rez is played by Ferdia Walsh-Peelo. After he attempts to take his own life, Rez questions the sincerity of his friendships and begins to wonder about his friend's true motives as well as his own. Walsh-Peelo stars as Alfred the Great in Vikings. Audiences may also recognize the young actor from director John Carney’s Golden Globe-nominated musical, Sing Street. Though both are coming of age stories, Walsh-Peelo’s Rez is quite a departure from his role as Conner in the uplifting modern musical.
Finn Cole as Joseph Kearney
Finn Cole plays Kearney in Here Are The Young Men. Kearney is a troublemaker obsessed with America, where he goes to work with his brother after graduation. Kearney’s life revolves around drinking, drugs, sex, and violence. Kearney both idolizes and represents the toxic masculinity and “real man” persona portrayed in the video games and the American media he devours. Viewers may recognize Cole from his role as Michael Gray, alongside Anya Taylor-Joy as his wife Gina, in Peaky Blinders.
Here Are The Young Men's Supporting Cast & Characters
Travis Fimmel plays an unnamed American television talk show host in Here Are The Young Men. Fimmel portrayed Ragnar Lothbrok in Vikings.
Ralph Ineson plays the headteacher. Ineson previously starred opposite Anya Taylor-Joy in The Witch.
Conleth Hill portrays Kearney's father in the film. Hill and Chapman previously appeared together in Game of Thrones.