Sleepers

Based on a true story “Sleepers” is the story of four boyhood friends, growing up in Hells Kitchen, New York, in the 1960s. The boys are depicted as carefree enough, despite an indulgence in petty crime and, in the case of one, watching his mother get beaten by his father. In the summer of 1966 however their lives are altered forever when a prank goes wrong and a man is accidentally killed. The boys are sentenced to one year in a boys home where they are beaten, psychologically abused and raped by male guards. Thirteen years later, as adults, all four men are given an opportunity to avenge their childhood abuse. To do this effectively they must ask many around them to compromise who they are and what they stand for, in particular their childhood priest and confidant Father Bobby. A story of coming of age and of revenge, “Sleepers” was plagued with controversy upon its release as the authenticity of the story was challenged. Starring: Brad Pitt, Jason Patric, Billy Crudup, Kevin Bacon, Ron Eldard, Minnie Driver and Dustin Hoffman. Directed by Barry Levinson (Good Morning, Vietnam, Rainman, Diner, Bandits).