Film Review - King of the Travellers (2013)

Director Mark O’Connor bucked the economic trend in 2012 when he arrived at the Galway Film Fleadh with two films to be screened and a manifesto in his pocket. King of the Travellers and Stalker were warmly received with the latter getting most of the attention for its more experimental approach. But it is King of the Travellers that has received a cinema release first and in some ways it is easy to see why. It has more of a conventional plot although the setting itself is unusual.

King of the Travellers tells the story of a feud between the Moorehouse and Powers, two travelling families. Central to all this is John Paul Moorehouse (John Connors) who believes that the Powers family murdered his father when he was a child. His desire for revenge puts him at odds with the head of the Moorehouse clan, his uncle Francis (Michael Collins) who urges peace. There is the further complication of his love for Winnie Powers (Carla Mc Glynn) and his wild half brother Mickey the Bags (Peter Coonan) who urges him on.

O’Connor wears his influences on sleeve with pride here. There are touches of The Godfather, On the Waterfront and in one of the early scenes Gangs of New York. This can be a dangerous game as you run the risk of calling attention to more acclaimed work. But he gets away with it as he grounds it within the authenticity of the traveller experience. But his main influence is Shakespearian, with Romeo & Juliet the main reference here. The first 30 or so minutes are when the film is at its best. The opening scene in a dark room is beautifully shot. Better again is the scene that follows along a motorway. In between there is the credit sequence with astonishing black and white archive footage of travellers set to The Furey's Óró Sé do Bheatha Bhaile. This is all very good and as previously said the referencing works within the context of the setting.

But after this excellent beginning some problems emerge. The first problem is the issue of non actors in the film. In the dedication for authenticity O’Connor has filled out all the smaller roles with travellers. The problem here is that when they have extended pieces of dialogue, it is flat and unconvincing and threatens to derail the film somewhat. The other main problem is the fact that the film is constricted by its adherence to narrative convention. This essentially means the last 30 minutes become rushed and predictable as the film heads in the obvious direction. What saves the film coming apart is the conviction of the main actors in their parts. Coonan, Collins and Mc Glynn all do very well in their roles with Coonan particularly taking the part and running with it. But it is the sheer force of nature that is John Connors which holds the film together. It is a big burden to carry a film in a first role but he succeeds admirably. I hope to see more of him in the future.

King of the Travellers is a problematic but ultimately decent film which never moves beyond its straightforward narrative. Yet there is a sense with this and Between the Canals that O’Connor is starting to find his cinematic voice. Even by the audacious title alone, Stalker should be an interesting film to see. It was heartening to see this film a couple of days after seeing Pilgrim Hill. If the ambition on show from both these directors carries through it could be an interesting next few years for Irish film.

The Irish Film Interview: Mark O'Connor

Director Mark O’Connor first came to prominence with Between the Canals in 2011, a raw and low budget crime drama set in Dublin’s less salubrious streets. It was a promising beginning for a new filmmaker and this year he premiered not one but two films at the Galway Film Fleadh, Stalker and King of the Travellers. This is in almost unheard of territory as funding for films in Ireland continues to decrease. But it was not for this fact that his name came up in the newspapers at the Fleadh. He also unveiled his Manifesto for Irish film where he talked about Ireland’s new wave of films. There has been a positive and negative reaction to the Manifesto, which was also published in Film Ireland magazine. I thought it would of interest to hear from O’Connor to hear his thoughts on Ireland’s film output in the past, present and future. This interview was conducted by email as Mark O’Connor is currently in Peru writing.

How would you describe the current state of the Irish film industry?

There´s a revolution taking place in Irish film right now.

Tell me in a bit more detail about the idea behind the manifesto for Irish film that you have written? Do you see it as something resembling the Dogme 95 movement in Denmark or as something to start a discussion on Irish film as a whole?

It wasn´t meant to resemble Dogme 95 or to be just a declaration. It was written for the industry with the hope of bringing recognition to the new wave. I would hope this helps in terms of more quality films being made, higher audiences figures for Irish films and more support at distribution stage for Irish films.  There´s a lot of different things in there including a call to arms but it´s really just my opinion which some people will disagree with. It is good to hear negative and positive reactions to it but it´s also frustrating when it gets misunderstood. People have picked me up wrong on a few points. One thing I want to make clear which I didn´t in the Manifesto because I only had three days to write it was that I don´t believe the director needs to also be the writer. I believe the director; if he is an artist of integrity will reinterpret it into their own vision. This means understanding the characters and story as much as the writer. If I was an actor why would I ask a director advice about my character if he hasn´t been to those same places the writer has been to. Instead I would ask the writer.

In some ways I think the idea of the manifesto leads into what I think is the most important question facing the Irish film industry at the moment: Why do you think there is so little enthusiasm for Irish film at the Irish box office?

Irish films are being passed up at the cinemas for Hollywood infant formula because the multiplexes don´t want to take a risk with a small Irish film which has no marketing campaign behind it. You eat what is on your plate and we´re consistently being fed MacDonald´s film and music. This needs to be tackled and the manifesto is partly written for this reason. We also have a problem of Irish audiences not being interested in seeing a new Irish film because there´s a certain stigma that they are not worth taking a trip to the cinema for. This is where the new wave is going to change everything. The industry is now producing quality films which in my opinion are better or at the same level of quality as anywhere else in the world.

If a magic wand were to be waved, making you in charge of funding for Irish Film – how would you exercise that power?

      I don´t think I´d be the man for that job. I think the Irish Film Board is doing a great job at the moment by nurturing a whole wave of up and coming talent. I think the correct thing to do is to support this talent and help it grow and then watch it flourish.  

How did you rate The Guard and what did you think it did right in terms of being successful at the Irish box office?

      To be honest it wasn´t my cup of tea but again that´s just my opinion. It appealed to a wide audience so it has to be applauded for that. I think they found a formula that worked. It had the right elements to attract a wide mainstream audience and it had Brendan Gleeson in the lead role. This happens every couple of years in Ireland. Intermission is another good example. Perriers Bounty is an example of what happens after when you try and replicate the formula.

You have just had two films premier at the Galway Film Fleadh this year. Do you think they will secure theatrical release?

      Who´s to know? Between the Canals sold out its first two weeks in the cinema but still hasn´t been released on DVD three years later. The industry is volatile and distribution companies are less willing to put their neck out. I think King of the Travellers will as it has a wide appeal but as for its unwanted cousin ´Stalker´….I think Stalker will go through the grinder, hopefully making an impact at festivals but come out the other side as a film that people talk about. It´ll be a hard cinema sell because of its content but hopefully it will spread through word of mouth. Self distribution is probably on the cards there but as it says in the Manifesto ´The tools are finally in our hands´. Also they´re making a computer game based on the film so that may help.  

            Film-wise, what are you currently working on at the moment?

I´ve twelve projects in development. The problem is getting finance.

Have you an interest in working abroad or is there enough to keep you here in Ireland?

Well I´m currently in Peru writing! However Ireland is my home. I want to make Irish films which appeal to an International audience. There are so many great Irish stories yet to be told so why would I want to work anywhere else. I love Ireland.

What recent Irish films have you seen? Are you encouraged by the standard of filmmaking here in general?

I´ve missed out on seeing a good few of the new ones. I´m looking forward to seeing My Brothers, Pilgrim Hill, Citadel, Dollhouse and What Richard Did. I´m very encouraged by the standard of film making talent. As I said there´s a whole wave of talent emerging.  

What other Irish filmmakers excite you that we may not have heard of yet?

Gerrard Barrett even though I haven´t seen his work. I met him at Galway and instantly liked him. Donal Foreman is making his feature film debut through our company Stalker films and we´re excited about that. Also through Stalker we´ll be producing ´Cardboard Gangster´ by John Connors which we are really excited about as its set in Darndale and this will be new to Irish film. These films will be part of the new wave.

Finally, what is your favourite Irish film of all time?

I have lots of favourites. In the Name of the Father, The Butcher Boy, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, The Field, Charlie Casanova, Kings, Tin Can Man, Poitin, My Left Foot, Pavee Lackeen, Song for a Raggy Boy, Angela´s Ashes…I love Irish films!!!!

Ireland on Screen: I want to scream

Beginning last night with Jim Sheridan’s The Boxer, RTE began its latest attempt to support Irish film with an Ireland on Screen season. It will run for two weeks and will have a number of premieres during that time. As a concept this is a very good idea, showcasing Irish film for people who would not be overly familiar with recent output. But the devil is in the details and as soon as you read through the listings several problems emerge.

The first thing that comes to mind is that there is no real structure to the season. It was only announced the day before it was scheduled to begin which means no real time for advertising the season. This is important as some advertisement is probably necessary for people who have no specific interest in Irish film as a whole. As far as I am aware (and I missed The Boxer last night so I could be wrong) there is no real attempt to put the season in context. Would it have cost too much to maybe have someone introduce each film or even just the season? An Irish film academic or film fan, maybe a director or actor, hell even Dave Fanning. It would be refreshing to have someone to say where each film stands in the overall canon of Irish film. Alas this does not appear to be the case.

Another issue is that there is no standard times or days that each film is being shown. The season lasts only two weeks for some reason, the films are scheduled on various days and truly bizarre times. The Boxer kicks off the season at 11.30pm! This is madness if you want to draw viewers in. A quick scan of the schedule could only lead you to believe that it was decided by a World Cup style draw. Films, days and times put into a giant hat and picked out randomly. This is not good. All of this would be forgivable (indeed since Moviedrome there has been a reluctance to introduce film at all on TV which is a real shame) if it wasn’t for the biggest problem of all.

The main issue is simply the choice of films on offer. Looking through the list is groan inducing. There is always going to be some films that will be on any season for familiarity reasons. This is to help get people to watch who otherwise may not bother. This season is full of those kinds of films. This is not a criticism of the quality of any of the choices, more that there is a dull and safe feeling to their inclusion. Films like Michael Collins, The Boxer and In the Name of the Father are too familiar to offer something different. To be fair there are a couple of films I do genuinely want to see, namely His and Hers and The Runway. But where is the sense of risk? Where is the low budget and unfamiliar films of the last few years? Where are films such as Snap, As if I am Not There, Between the Canals, Garage, Hunger, Guiltrip, Accelerator, The Other Side of Sleep, Kisses, Pyjama Girls? There is an argument that at least RTE are making an attempt to help out the Irish film industry here, indeed they also invest financially in Irish film to be fair. But one can’t help feel that there is a real missed opportunity to showcase a diverse selection here. And that is the real pity.

Here is the list of films being shown