Rioghnach Ní Ghrioghair debuted her short film Safehouse at
the Galway Film Fleadh this year. Safehouse opens in quiet, as
a couple, Sean (Steve Gunn) and Lorraine (Olga Wehrly) sleep in a
remote cabin. But things are not right. There are worrying blood
patches on the bed and there is the glimpse of a gun. We are
beginning at the aftemath of something and the feeling is that this
may not end well.
The initial feeling on watching Safehouse was that the story seemed
familiar: we have seen a variation on it many times before. Credit
then to director and writer Ní Ghrioghair who manages to make it
feel fresh. Exposition is used sparingly, the visuals tell most of
the story. The leads are great with particular praise for Olga Wehrly
who is superb. The cinematography by Tommy Fitzgerald is excellent
giving the film a basking glow akin to a Malick film. The director
proudly shows her influences as Safehouse evokes an older time
for film, with echoes of the new Hollywood of the 70s (Bonny and
Clyde, Badlands).
Safehouse is a fine short, beautiful to look at with a story that is
in turn familiar and strange. It has the feeling of a neo noir bathed
in sunlight. We do not get many of those in Ireland.
