Patrick's Day

Director Terry McMahon courted controversy in 2011 with his debut, a satirical thriller called Charlie Casanova. A film he described as his 'punk rock statement', it was a feature made for the impressive sum of E1000 with the aid of a cast and crew assembled mostly through Facebook. Casanova was more than a bit rough around the edges, but McMahon kept that provocative streak for his second effort - and caused a stir for all the right reasons.

Patrick's Day tells the story of Patrick (Moe Dunford) a young man in his late twenties who suffers from schizophrenia. We open at Dublin's St. Patrick's Day parade with Patrick on day release from the institution he calls home, having a day out with Mother Maura (Kerry Fox) to celebrate his birthday. Together they enjoy a fun fair, buy novelty hats , eat candy floss and do everything you would do with a ten year old on his birthday. But when Patrick and Maura get separated in the crowd, Patrick meets Karen (Catherine Walker) who is a bit tipsy and takes a liking to him. 'I have schizophrenia,' he feels compelled to blurt out to her, 'Sure haven't we all?' is her response. Patrick falls for Karen, to Maura's horror. She drives her son back to the institution, and even enlists a detective (Philip Jackson) to help her convince him that Karen is merely one of his delusions. Patrick is rocked, forced to confront the draconian way he is treated because of his illness, and is compelled to escape and find her. Or at least find out if she's fictitious.

Patrick's Day is a remarkable piece addressing the lingering stigma surrounding mental illness, and a mentally ill person's right to intimacy. It is a fiercely humane drama, one of those rare ones that shatters you then sets you soaring, all the more moving for extending it's understanding toward well-meaning antagonist Maura. And that's not an easy task, in a film reminiscent of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. The writing is snappy ('Only a woman could demolish you with a compliment,' grumbles Jackson's beleaguered detective) and it's well shot too, McMahon and DoP Michael Lavelle filling it with expressive images.

A vital and thought-provoking piece, it gave me a new perspective and made me re-think my attitude towards the topic and people in my life, and there's no higher praise than that. Not that there's no lightness to the film - 'Patrick is a twenty-six year old schizophrenic virgin...' was the entirety of the blurb for it at my local cinema, and that captures this film's mischievous spirit.

I'd been wanting to see Patrick's Day from the moment I read about it. I have vivid memories of how affected I'd been by Terry McMahon's previous film, Charlie Casanova. I've followed the progress of Patrick's Day on social media, and was frustrated at the time it took to be shown in England. Thanks to the Tricycle for supporting its first London screening, I had the privilege to see Patricks Day in my home town last weekend. What an extraordinary film it is! One measure of a film for me is how many times during the screening that I 'leave' the film and think for myself. I was captured from the first frame as Patrick, in his own world, wheels a supermarket trolley around the store. From that moment I was completely drawn into Patrick's (Moe Dunford) world. Moe was utterly compelling as Patrick, as was Kerry Fox, who played his mother. Terry always takes on challenging subjects, and a film about a schizophrenic is as challenging as it comes. I came away from the cinema quite shaken, and moved by my experience. I'm not a film critic, but I know what I like. I'm also not a cinematographer, but I know sublime visual storytelling when I see it, and I know sublime visual moments when they are offered, like a gift. If you want to be challenged, and asked questions; if you want to be drawn into both anger and sadness, and then dumped back into a seat in a cinema, alone but surrounded by people who have just undergone the same emotional ride as you, then see this film! Haters will always hate, but if you have a gramme of decency and compassion you will be moved to a new understanding by Patrick's Day. If you don't then I recommend Jeremy Kyle.

Patrick's Day, is a breath of fresh air. In it we meet Patrick (Mo Dunford), a young man who suffers from a variety of mental health problems as he embarks upon a romantic relationship with an enigmatic flight attendant named Karen (Catherine Walker) who, as it transpires, has mental health issues of her own, albeit ones which would be less obvious to an onlooker. Patrick's fiercely protective mother (Kerry Fox) is unimpressed by the pair's fledgling relationship and seeks out the help of a world weary cop (Philip Jackson) in order to bring an end to it – by any means necessary.

The relationship between Patrick's mother and her 'hired gun' is arguably every bit as interesting as that of Patrick and Karen, if not more so. Here are two people who have been left severely damaged by the great lengths that they have gone though in order to achieve what they felt was right. In a sense they are kindred spirits, both of whom are struggling with the increasingly morally ambiguous path that they have embarked upon. It is a testament to McMahon's great writing and direction in that what is essentially a sub-plot manages be so compelling. At a glance, Patrick's mother could be perceived as a sort of wicked stepmother archetype as seen in the likes of Cinderella. However, such an interpretation of her character would be an uncharitable one. Her determination to drive Patrick and Karen apart is not indicative of any inherent cruelty or malice, but rather genuine love and a powerful maternal connection to her son. While her methods may seem cruel, they are born of her desire to protect Patrick, even if her protection is the last thing that he wants at this stage in his life. Kerry Fox plays the role wonderfully; here is a complex and challenging character who, while cast as a sort of villain to the piece, never feels like a truly bad person and is every bit as deserving of our sympathy as the star-crossed lovers who she opposes.

Ms Fox is but one excellent performer in what is a brilliant ensemble cast. No amount of praise is too great for Mo Dunford in the titular role. His performance is simply spellbinding as he conveys a character who is suffering at the hands of his mental health demons. Vitally though, Dunford never allows said mental health problems to define who Patrick is as a character. He is a charming and affable young man first and foremost and, as such, has much the same needs and desires of others in his demographic. The fact that he has mental health issues is something of a secondary consideration as far as he is concerned. The film makes a point to highlight that Patrick is a product of who he is, not what he is.

Patrick's Day, it must be said, is not the easiest watch that a viewer will encounter as it becomes apparent quite early on in the film that a happy ending where everything works out for the best is highly unlikely. It is however, a finely crafted story with impressive characterisation and powerful themes which, while difficult at times, is an absolute triumph which will leave much for the audience to contemplate long after the closing credits have finished rolling.

Terry McMahon's PATRICK'S DAY is a profoundly moving masterpiece, and a wake up call to Irish filmmakers to quit with the self-mocking crime caper film which never takes itself seriously and to make meaningful films that stick in our heads long after the credits roll.

It takes balls to make a bold film like this.

It probably wasn't since after Gaspar Noe's 2002 film IRREVERSIBLE that I staggered out into the Dublin daylight, trembling with emotion, numb…my mind racing with possibilities in the car on the drive home, trying to recollect the immensity of what I had just witnessed.

All of the craft elements coalesce perfectly – photography, editing, music, direction, script, performance, everything else – and a piece of true cinema magic is born.

The film is a sledgehammer to the jaw – a raw and honest film from a writer/director who is the real deal, and who is going to play a huge role in shaping Irish cinema moving forward. It's one of the most powerful films I've ever seen -- I was moved to tears many times.

I would personally rank this with the best of Irish cinema, up there with greats such as IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER.

A modern classic. A must see.

Go out and buy it and support hardworking Irish filmmakers who need our support.

I couldn't wait to see this in the run up to it's release, and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Patrick's Day is a very moving piece of work, an assault on the emotions, and has a fantastic central performance from Moe Dunford. There is excellent support from the rest of the cast, and especially Kerry Fox, brilliant as the manipulative mother who has convinced herself that everything she does is for Patrick's sake. Nicely shot too, with several compositions that seemed to evoke Patrick's state of mind at the time. It is an extremely compelling film, and difficult to come away from. There are different kinds of love, and this film shows us how far people will go to give it, receive it, and to feel it. In all it's forms. Love is madness. Great film.