Wild Decembers

Such an amazing film. Set in west Ireland, a romantic tragedy you see happening in slow motion. The famous Irish author Edna O'Brian has created a story you can't stop watching. Every joyful, beautifully shot moment and every sad, tragic moment.

Story from Ireland, written by author Edna OBrien. When aussie mike bugler ( matt ryan) moves in next door to brother and sister joe and breege ( owen mcdonnell and lara belmont), it starts as a friendship between the three. But things progress between the handsome stranger and the girl. And then things take a turn. So many strange close-ups by the director... things are frequently out of focus, and hard to see or read, and sometimes only a very small part of the scene. Was that intentional?? Not a lot happens in the first half. Joe wants to protect his sister from the budding romance between bugler and breege, but ties over family, and land, may come between them. I can see why it's currently rated "6" on imdb... with the weird close-ups and some confusion over what's happening, it's a lot of work to watch this. Right near the end, it gets very dark. Family loyalty. Forbidden love. Directed by Anthony Byrne. Lots of film fest nominations. Brother of singer Hozier.

This is a really well=done movie. Love thwarted by jealousy, bad luck and misunderstandings leading to tragedy. Well acted, beautifully shot and nuanced. Beuatifully done. Unfortunate it hasn't received more attention.