An Irish Angel

I thought this movie was promising, premise wise. It was refreshing in the sense that it didn't feel like your average Independent Artsy Movie; it felt more or less like a movie with something to say. Which is charming actually, the cinematography is beautiful I loved it.

To me this movie over delivered on some points, and undelivered in others. Like I said I liked the directing style, I liked how unconventional the characters looked. Mostly in films; teenagers are being physically portrayed as beauty pageant contestants or extremely good looking cheer leaders etc.. but over here they looked more realistic and believable as teenagers. I loved the way this movie represented the family unit, in that it wasn't too good to be true but wasn't too unreal either. Millions of Irish People probably grew up in such families which seems more relatable to the viewer.

I have to focus on the ways in which this film fell short for me at least. The plot was very cliche, the same as every other coming of age movie. Teen finds herself pregnant, teen fights with parent to gain her independence, parent resist teen's independence and then teen starts rebelling out of frustration and so on.

The plot was quite the cookie-cutter. It was predictable and we have seen it many times. The only difference is the setting & the characters really. I felt like the idea of the family going through "financial difficulties" was just thrown in for good measures. I kinda wished they threw that out of the plot all together, it didn't seem to actually affect the plot in anyway other than dramatic effect.

So yeah, overall pretty good film but I felt it lacked on originality and it wasn't as "deep" as I had hoped it would be.

An Irish Angel is a lot like the time in which it takes place. The film has a lot of note to say, but you get the sense that it has a good time just being there. By 2017, The Good Friday Agreement was in the rear-view mirror, as were much of the struggles of the previous decades. It was almost like people were sick and tired of caring about trauma.

Our film shows us the trials and tribulations of Aine just looking to navigate the world of a teenage girl. There are plenty of familiar faces in this cast with Jaime Winstone and Julian Glover, but nobody really outshines the leads Niamh James and Todd Bell. The film is paced in a manner that lets us know about the characters. The most memorable scenes in the film are more painful than funny with Aine's Nightmares.

Danny Patrick's films the action is from a completely neutral vantage point. There is nothing at all pretentious or preachy about any of the subject matter. The film ramps up the humor of other Teen fare, but shadows that with the tragic desperation that modern teenagers face, this film is worth taking a look at.

I found An Irish Angel to be a sweet, charming coming-of-age film. It is a serious film, but with flashes of humor. Danny Patrick wrote and directed the film which seemed to be partly autobiographical in that he grew up in Ireland about the same time as her character. The film is a meditation on what it means to be from some place and what that idea of home means in shaping who you become.

Aine 'Niamh James' has a love-hate relationship with her town, her family and her place in both. It is also very much a story of young girl struggling with her own and her mother's expectations for herself. The script is really charming with the best scenes being those of Aine and her mother played by 'Amanda Doherty'.

Aine is struggling with her secret pregnancy, family, friendship, religion all at the same time. Like all of us, she is trying to find her place in the world. Niamh James is excellent as Ained as is Amanda Doherty in the role of her haggard struggling mother trying to hold her family together through difficult times. Recommended to those who like drama, particularly coming-of-age films.

One of the things this film does exceptionally well is give us a snapshot of the experiences Aine 'Niamh James' has, while still filling each moment with so much meaning and emotion. This is not a film about a teenager actively going through the world, it is about being in your 30's and looking back at your teenage youth. An Irish Angel does not rest on any single experience for very long and this is because when we remember our youth, we don't remember everything, and we don't remember all the sides to the story, we just remember how the door slammed and everything went silent or how we used to stare longingly at the dream house a few streets away, wishing it were ours. The criticism that this film touches on too much and discusses too little, is a misconception that this is a play by play of a young woman forced into being an adult. This is how life is remembered, in moments, slivers, glances. More over, Danny Patrick creates a female lead character that is at once self-conscious and determined. She does not wilt or waver in her goals even despite the mistakes she's made. Aine is a new female lead that does not ask "what will I do now?" when something goes wrong. She simply keeps going, until she arrives.

'An Irish Angel' is a tale of angst, stress and a strive for acceptance. The themes in 'Angel' are common ones that many young adults can identify with during the confusing, competitive high school years. At the center of the film is Niamh James 'Aine' title character (pronounced Onya), who struggles with her inner demons now that she's pregnant, whilst hiding the fact from her mother, Margaret (Amanda Doherty). This secret dominates the entire film and even when its out, helps us understand how one's environment growing up can have a major impact on their choices in life.

The premise offers director Danny Patrick a lot to work with, and his signature comedic, dramedy tone is a constant throughout 'Angel.' Everything from the way scenes are shot to the quirky music are dripping with proverbial eye rolls, and they all work. Sure, there are a few moments that could cause general audiences gasp, but most of them are done in a way that is not mean-spirited or in poor taste. Aside from Niamh's A+ performance, others in the supporting cast don't disappoint, from Jaime Winstone to Julian Glover's priest.

'An Irish Angel' has the building blocks to become a cult classic for this generation.