Quote:
"26 years after the publication of his novel [Funny Boy], [Shyam] Selvadurai has collaborated with [Deepa] Mehta on the adaptation. The result is more conventionally constructed than the source, a bildungsroman told via six distinct vignettes from the protagonist's early childhood and adolescence, also marking the shifting state of the nation in stark jumps. As a film, Funny Boy is more fluid but less detailed from one act to the next, with a diffuse array of subplots that have limited room to breathe in a tight 109-minute runtime. Perhaps the source would have been best served by a miniseries format; as it is, it's still a spirited, enveloping evocation of a challenging time and place, aided immeasurably by vibrant on-location shooting in the former Sri Lankan capital of Colombo."
-- Guy Lodge

Source:
Lodge, Guy. "'Funny Boy' review: Canada's engaging Oscar submission chronicles gay self-discovery amid political upheaval." Review of Funny Boy. Variety, December 10, 2020.