Les chemins de la liberté

Near the border of Northern Ireland, an 18 year-old named Danny (Matt Keeslar) leaves home after the death of his mother due to friction with his gruff father, a local cop, (Albert Finney). Danny moves in with his free-spirited friend, Cocoa (Anthony Brophy), and learns the ropes of manhood, including a relationship with a girl from across the border, Annagh (Victoria Smurfit). When crises strike he finally comes to understand some things.

Peter Yates' "The Run of the Country" (1995) is an obscure picture only available on VHS, which isn't relevant in the modern days of streaming. Yet gazillions of people have seen the poster for the movie at a cinema in the 1995 episode of Seinfeld "The Pool Guy" (season 7, episode 8).

This is a realistic coming-of-age drama set in inland Ireland. The acting is effective across the board, especially Finney as the father and Brophy as Danny's wild friend. Simply put, this is quality drama with laughs, romance, conflict, action, crises and gorgeous photography of rural Ireland.

The film runs 1 hour, 49 minutes, and was shot in the Redhills, County Cavan, area of Ireland, near the border of Northern Ireland.

GRADE: B

Charming, almost innocently told tale. Lovely Irish scenery and gentle, calmly-paced acting. Finney's strong presence does not detract, but rather melds into the story well. I found Keesler just right for the "wide-eyed" role he plays as hero of this yarn. The other supporting players also add much flavor to the rustic backdrop.

And the movie has some mild controversy. None of which has to do with cock-fighting or the IRA. It lies within the fiber of the telling. Some have said: formulaic. Some have said: episodic. Some have said: plotless.

Well, then...which is it?

Strictly speaking, "formulaic" movies should have a plot, and plotless movies cannot be "formulaic". Formulaic cannot be "episodic"...

I say: the movie goes about just as life does - haphazardly, full of turns expected and not. Each random event, another one of life's lessons which add to one's strength or weakness.

I recommend this movie to those whose view of life is not an exercise in the breaking the speed of light - but instead of a "taking in" of that light and welcoming the ensuing darkness as a natural flow and balance of all things.

This was a disappointment. There's no point in repeating the comments others have made about the dodgy acting. As an Irish person, I can also add that the accents were highly questionable and in some cases just plain wrong. Rites of passage films tend to be pretty formulaic and this one broke no moulds. Nor did it ever intend to.

The movie was powerful enough to help me realize I was in love. It defined the boundaries between romance, lust, affection, and love. Placed in the heart of the Irish countryside, "Run of the Country" explored the clash between a tradition-based generation and its modern offspring on subjects as delicate as love, sex, marriage, and family. Ultimately, if you're lucky enough to be in love with an Irish, you'll know exactly why.

The previews looked interesting, and given a penchant for things Irish, I fully expected to enjoy this movie. I was sorely disappointed. The plot, or what there is of a plot, is convoluted and episodic. I'm not one to generally notice what others call bad acting, but the lead definitely could have used some work. All in all, I would say you're better off spending your time some other way.