Anton

I really enjoyed this period Irish drama. The work done to create the time period (70's) was well done with the cars, clothes and conversation of the day.

I think it was a refreshing change from the overdone 'troubles' genre. First, this looked at the situation in the Republic of Ireland (what Yanks sometimes erroneously call 'southern' Ireland). Secondly, it focused on the effect of one man's poorly conceived idea to 'help the cause' - backfiring miserably on his whole family.

Interestingly, I was more caught up in the struggles of Anton's wife and brother. That seems like another film in the making, and a more sympathetic story.

I saw this at The Boston Irish Film Festival 2008. It has merit on all fronts. Gee, How many American movies started with €5,000 euro pack this punch?! The acting is exemplary and the direction while safe delivers when its called for. Mc Sorely is incredible and Fox in his first Lead ( I think) in a movie holds his own very well against him. The character he plays is very hard to get to grips with in the early scenes but once the movie gathered pace one could understand his mindset. The supporting cast (again unknown) deliver truthful performances often missing from films of this caliber and budget. There are places where it's budget is telling but the ambition and the sheer scale for little money has to be commended. The audience in Harvard were well impressed. African American, Irish American, Hispanic American. Seriously it was amazing coming as I do from an English heritage to see this cross section engage with an Irish Film on so many levels. At first I was terrified this is yet another Brit bashing movie but was pleasantly surprised by how focused it was on the family and how the conflict in Northern Ireland was purely a background to what is a gritty truthful movie.

I gave Anton a 10 rating despite a couple of misgivings. The sheer ambition of this movie is inspirational! Ambition, something sadly lacking in Ireland, just look at RTE, TV3 and the morons who run the country. I can't recall an Irish film which dared to compete with Hollywood action thrillers, Recent Irish Films (A film with me in it, Middletown, Adam & Paul, 32a, Garage etc) have been slow paced and better suited for TV. Sorry about the rant! The recreation of the 70's period in this movie is flawless, the score, cinematography and most of the performances are incredible. On the downside, the filmmakers tried to cram so much in that the film losses focus at points. Gerard McSorley does his thing to great effect lending tremendous weight to the production, but it's the supporting performances that are surprisingly good. With Anton, Irish Film is getting on track, (not back on track, because it was never on track in my opinion) What Ireland needs is more people working in the film industry with balls and before you say, what about movies like, In the Name of the Father, The Boxer, Michael Collins, Veronica Guerin etc, yes they were good, great even, but these films were made by Hollywood studios so can't be considered true Irish Films.

When you set out to make an Independent film you do so with the intention of doing the best job you can with the resources available to you. When there is no definitive budget, (by that I mean, when you're not financed) it means there is no definitive time-line for completion. The majority of time is spent scraping together money piece-meal. You receive no income for your efforts and end up in crippling debt.

So why do it? Well; A filmmaker makes films and that involves taking a leap of faith.

Two years have passed since the completion of the film and with the forthcoming UK DVD release on October 11 (http://www.highfliersplc.com/product/284/) it's interesting to reflect on the expectations we had. The act of completion, finding an audience, and the subsequent sale of the film, (in over thirty territories to date) is all a filmmaker can ask.

Ultimately what you're left with is the satisfaction of a successful outcome to your endeavours and the belief to take another leap of faith, coming to a cinema near you in the very near future?

I've only seen 'Anton' once and need to see it again. Although I was sitting toward the rear of the theatre in Dundrum, the images seemed to be on top of me, like I was on the front row. A lot was happening and the style was neither t.v. nor cinema - I don't know what it was, but I don't doubt the sincerity of intent - nor the escape from pseudo-agitprop 'Troubles' genres and avoidance of soap-motif the film represents.

I certainly had a couple of quibbles, mostly continuity, though with over 20 gaffes in 'Quantum of Solace' - despite the huge budget - continuity must be no more than a film-maker's irritation on the way to box-office consummation.

I'm really only writing this as a balance to the slightly hysterical foot-stampings contained in some other 'Anton' comments.

Personal agendas are, by definition, self-revealing - am I mistaken in believing Eamonn McCann was a little put-out, on 'The View', that nobodies were getting their hands dirty in his sacred soil - well, I know there are a thousand such tales strung along the 'border' which will never see the light of day but which underpin the veracity of this particular film.

With regard to performances - as above, I'm not really sure until I've seen 'Anton' again. There was an intensity and urgency which separates this film from its commercial counterparts and there were even moments which reminded me of Ken Russell's 'Women in Love' (D.H. Lawrence) and I'd like to have seen more.

What was singularly in short supply was playing to the camera/pandering to the crowds/prostrating before the money-men, and for that alone these film-makers deserve more than bicycle-shed bickering.

Next time I see the film I will have a better idea of the answers to the bag of questions my first viewing dumped in my lap, but with energy, integrity and intent, this actually Irish film avoids the manicured story-lines of Big-House-Entertainment and digs around in the undergrowth - not an easy place to make a film.

If any of the makers read this - thank you for a seriously challenging piece - I suspect it is more to do with the future of film-making in Ireland than the past - I hope it is a passport to further work.