Patrick's Day

Patrick's Day is a tribute to the much misunderstood and beautifully brilliant world of mental illness. Those affected, are disabled by society and not by their condition. The film will open the door to much needed change in social attitudes. It is too real and raw to even begin to describe the flawless acting, let alone the magnificent script writing and I was not surprised to learn of its worldwide success. From the opening scene of this film I was entranced. The camera work from beginning to end, is superb; but especially the initial tracking shot which creates intimacy with Patrick from the first second. The film, like its predecessor Charlie Casanova, took me straight out of my comfort zone; this may be disconcerting for some, but we need this perspective and true insight. Patrick's Day is a love story in its most raw form. The film is a must see for anyone struggling to understand the dynamics of love and vital importance of intimacy. When the two lovers meet, they each need, trust and almost demand that intimacy. This is how it could always be, if people weren't caught up in social 'norms' and expectations. It is obvious that Patrick's innocence, beautiful mind and body are the perfect sanctuary for a very obviously traumatised Karen. It all makes magnificent sense.

For intimacy we need trust, and in trust we need truth. So frightening, rare and beautiful, that truth is often found in those we choose to call 'disturbed', or 'mentally ill'. Karen and Patrick find solace in each other. It is their unique bond that holds the story together, while every other character seems to fall apart. The film masterfully contrasts the simplicity of a loving connection with a complex dysfunctional environment. It brings the viewer feelings of unsure empathy for the abusers. This is rare and true art.

No one should watch this film needing to understand it, or over-analyse it; far better to just feel every second of it and allow it to resonate. We are all oppressed in one way or another, sadly tending to accept the unacceptable. This film, in a myriad of ways shows how fundamentally wrong that acceptance is. To coin an apt phrase, in so many senses, 'the lunatics are running the asylum'...

A truly beautiful film.

I saw Patrick's Day last night in Dublin! I've been looking forward to seeing this movie for a long time mainly because I admire Terry McMahon the writer/director. What he did with his first movie Charlie Casanova was one of the most inspirational stories of the recession. Getting it made and then picked up by studio canal at a time when everything seemed impossible, was a fist pumping "get in there" achievement! Terry should be a hero for any independent filmmaker and indeed any artist with the desire to undertake a project that's immense and insurmountable while encumbered by the economic vicissitudes of reality today. Taking all that into account I probably would've been happy enough if Patrick's day just didn't suck. I know the film has won awards and was lauded by many influential people who appear in the marketing material that wild-card distribution are using. But I'm afraid, I've become a cynic of late. I just don't believe anything that I read or see on the Internet any more, least of all anyone's self promotion. Despite my newly found cynicism I bought my ticket and popcorn, picked a seat in the middle of the middle of the theatre and strapped myself in for an experience where I knew absolutely anything could happen. I found over the years that when it comes to watching Irish made films, I've had to dramatically lower my standards and just watch it as a probably scarlet, Paddy flick and allowances would have to be made for its myriad flaws! Patrick's Day is not one of these movies, no dropped standards or allowances were required! Indeed all the balls stayed firmly in the air throughout. Not a scarlet moment, does it have! It sounds great, it looks great and it tells a riveting story which although it is original, it's dripping with the stuff of universal human condition! I'm not going to give anything away about the plot, I think the less you know about it before you see it, the better! The DP Michael Lavelle did an outstanding job! I don't remember walking away from many Irish films before, thinking about how the colour palettes were used to reflect the different moods of the characters. Is it usual to watch an independent movie and come away musing on one-point prospective and the symmetry of staging? I don't think so! They use some very clever camera work with first person perspective shots slipping in and out of focus to visually represent to the audience moments of intoxication or madness! In another quite magical and incredibly intimate scene the DP manipulates background light to create these abstract shapes conveying erotic human union. That might sound a bit artsy fartsy but it's not because none of the techniques are gratuitous and the pace of the movie never drops enough for you to put your bitchy critical hat on! The sound-design, effects and tracks were all perfectly and seamlessly mixed together. This sounds like a platitude but audio is one area where an indie-movie can let itself down tragically. On the contrary, here I believe the whole sound department did a whopper job with more than a couple of stand out 'wow that's really impressive audio' moments. At times reminding me of a Joe Wright movie like Atonement because at cretin subtle audio effects are ratcheted up in the moment up to assault the senses for dramatic effect! Patrick's Day is Patrick Fitzgerald's story! Patrick is a schizophrenic man in his mid 20s who's been institutionalised for most of his life! Moe Dunford plays the part just like a fully-fledged movie star. For a relatively unknown actor it's ridiculous that he has such a strong camera presents! I have no doubt that we'll be seeing Moe again on the big screen, he's a proper actor who brought the good stuff to every scene! Kerry Fox who played Patrick's mother Maura was also very good as was Catherine Walker who played the love interest Karen Prescott. It's a story about mental health, sexuality, parenting, lies, control, authority, betrayal, violence and truth but it's primarily about love! Love under madness or madness under love! It's a provocative, compelling story, which skips along with nimble pace, only stopping to labour a point when some captivating acting demands it. There are some extraordinary scenes throughout the movie showcasing exceptional acting skill! You can see the actor's motivations and objectives, the obstacles in front of them and exactly what they're prepared to do to overcome these obstacles. During the 102 min's, I was moved to tears, laughed out loud a few times and even managed to squeeze in a fist pump. This movie isn't for pussies, it's a deliberate attack on the scenes and it will stay with you for some time afterword. This director is someone who is never short of something to say, so I found it remarkable that the same man makes choices with his direction, which favour showing over telling, again and again. As the writer, he's in every frame of the movie and the choices always appear to be objective, there's a definite reason why everything is done. He's telling us something, something gross and something subtle with the faintest whisper of the writers devices and chicanery, left only for the very perceptive to notice! This is a really good movie, it ticks so many boxes that it's easy to see why it swept the boards at all the festivals. I'm Very proud of Terry and Moe and everyone else involved, looking forward to seeing it again and I'm also super excited about what Terry will do next. Make sure you go to see it and support Irish Film.

Stunning work. The writing, direction, cinematography and acting are all remarkable. David Fincher talks of the difference between movies and films however the best of both blur the lines of each, and Patrick's Day does just that. From the very opening Patrick and his world are seen caged as we view them from the inside a shopping trolley Patrick pulls and pushes. Immediately it is obvious there is more than narrative at work. His world may be behind bars, but so are we. Static locked inside the trolley. We are pushed and pulled by him and his world, by him and his day, and by Terry McMahon's film. And if you have drowned so deep in Patricks Day and the madness of love by the ending that you have forgotten your part in it all...even then you will still find what you need. It's as open as Moe Dunford's performance. Moe who won many accolades for his Patrick is central to the creation of Terry McMahon's hyper-real dream. He is sublime.

As a piece of Irish Film, in keeping with the best of Irish Films, it could be set nowhere else and yet it's setting is irrelevant. It is a universal story being told where it needs to be. The passionate commentary and probing of a culture and society makes it immediately universal. There is not a single motif of the worst of Irish movies to be seen or thankfully heard. It stands to all critique, and unusually for a lot of Irish film it warrants and stands to a political, social and film reading. There are no post-modern laughs from a comedic social underclass. There is no easy trite targeting of the 'okayed' cultural targets. It's original. It's fresh. The writing and narrative are so strong that the 'movie' happens while the 'film' happens...seamlessly as one.

Is it masterpiece? No. Because after watching Terry McMahon's debut, zero-budget, punk, polemic, political critique 'Charlie Cassanova', and now watching this stunningly accessible yet multi-layered love story, which he created for next to nothing...you can only be excited by how good he could be with time and money. Perhaps this would be a masterpiece for some...but I hope the McMahon masterpiece is yet to come and I get to see it. But if all you ever did as a film maker was half of what these two films do...that'd be a victory.

Love is madness. Dive in.

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 saw this film at the Galway Film Fleadh. I found it deeply moving and in a creative way, disturbing. I was pondering it and reliving it for several days afterward, and in fact have never forgotten its impact, which continues to evolve as the weeks go on. It is beautifully acted, directed and edited; all that skill contributes to a kind of magic, the film's ability to dive directly and compellingly into the emotions of the situation from the point of view of each character. The plot summary will never do it justice, as the film itself calls into question almost every easy name for anything. From my own point of view it is a film of love and heroism. But that's just how I see it myself. I have had strenuous arguments with other viewers defending their points of view, which are equally well supported. It's a film that stimulates strong emotion, not least because it avoids preaching about anything. The result is a very meaningful, heart-opening experience.