The Last Right

Daniel Murphy (Michiel Huisman) is flying to Ireland for his mother's funeral. He's the only one left to care for his autistic brother Louis (Samuel Bottomley). He needs to go to NYC for a new job but Louis is unwilling to leave home. Added to the complication, the elderly man sitting next to him on the plane dies. Due to a name mix up, Daniel is assumed to be the dead man's next of kin. The brothers are joined by Mary Sullivan (Niamh Algar) on their road trip as they deliver the body to his burial in Northern Ireland. Situation arises that police Detective Donall Crowley (Colm Meaney) is in pursuit of the trio.

The premise is manufactured. The story would be easier to transport their mother rather than a complete stranger. I'm still not sure about connecting the delivery with moving to New York. At its core, this is a simple quirky road movie and I like these actors. I like these actors and these characters. It has the quirkiness of an Irish dark comedy. It's death and sex and all the rest.

I don't think this is much of a comedy, though there are definitely smile worthy scenes and moments and the entire plot is rather absurdly enjoyable. It is a touching little oddball movie that is quite a pleasant ride, literally and figuratively. The cast is also good, particularly the three leads. I had never heard of it before stumbling upon it, but I'm glad I did.

Though Samuel Bottomley is not autistic, so far as we know and does not have the same traits as Louis, he portrays and is portrayed in a positive light and it tackles the inherent ablism of society. Though we see a Temple Grandin poster, who though in some circles lorded suggested that a cure should be found for those with higher level support needs that herself which is problematic, he says that no autistic person is the same and there is a narrative about how he should get to decide his future even if he is scared of things others aren't and living alone may be difficult and passing school so also, he still get to live his own life. He isn't seen as babyish but a guy with different needs. Big thumbs up for that aspect. Then we have the awesomeness that is the twisty and turny plot, Colm Meany's face and the differing perspectives and heart rending moment which will make you cry. Mary is a character who is well matched to Louis and Daniel bringing out their beauty and complexity and can be compared to them in this regard too. No character is without a role or some form of basic personality and everybody's morals are on show. Its indie, funny, sweet and a worthwhile watch.

I loved this quirky road movie. As with lots of fiction, once I suspended shades of disbelief (as when the elderly Padraig Murphy, who is transporting his dead brother on the plane from the USA to Ireland for burial, dies on the plane, but before he names the passenger next to him, coincidentally called Daniel Murphy (Michael Huisman), as his next of kin), I relaxed into the mould of the film. The acting is very good throughout. Daniel's "brother" Louis (Samuel Bottomley) sensitively portrays an autistic personality and the plot is peppered with comic vignettes including the bonny and clyde scene with the impetuous Mary (Niamh Algar) and the toy gun at a take away. There are magical landscape scenes along the way, some probably done with drones. Overall a hilarious, entertaining and touching movie.

It's certainly not the best movie I've seen this year, but it has a lot of heart in it, and lots of messages and lessons to give in a well-crafted package. And while it lasts around 1 hour and 40 minutes, it felt longer to me.. like a tv series of sorts. I was half-way there when I started to wonder how much was left. It's quite a bit of drama! But somehow felt "childish".. yet very realistic. The characters are not those you'd easily fall in love with, and their interactions are not as memorable. And some of their choices are questionable, but it's that sort of film that makes me wonder how I'd react if I was in their shoes.

Still! It's a plot I've never seen before.. and got "out of hand" at times, which I appreciate, because it's better to be surprised than bored.

Just wished the movie had more landscapes or better shots, to at least fall in love with the island.