Country

I saw this film on holiday in Dublin, in October 2000. This is an impressive debut film by Kevin Liddy. It is relevant to past and present Ireland. It is beautifully filmed and the drama is wonderfully played by a talented cast. I was impressed by all the cast but particularly by Gary Lydon and Des Cave. The film examines beautifully the complex relationships between father and sons.

Think of the pitch for this movie: it's set in rural Ireland, where the older people nurse ancient grudges and enmities and the young ones want to leave and go somewhere more exciting, encouraged by a long-lost relative that turns up for a funeral.

Then ask: hasn't this been done before? And why aren't there more movies about the place Ireland is becoming and less about the place it used to be?

This film isn't totally uwatchable, but it never achieves the pathos it strives for, just a sort of dull lugubrity. You just want to take it to a psychiatrist and get it prescribed some Prozac. The acting isn't bad, and it makes good use of the scenery. It's sense of period is slightly unsure, though.

I'm tempted to think that, set near the border with Northen Ireland in the mid '60's among people who nurse ancient grudges, it may be strivng for some kind of allegorical significance, though regarding what I can't imagine.