My Irish film awards for 2013

Although it pains me to say it, it has not been a particularly vintage year for Irish film. There were none released that were particularly bad per se, more that there was precious little to get excited about. That being said, for the second year in a row 2 Irish films will make it into my top 20 films of the year (one in my top 5). So positivity is necessary here. The ones that were good were really good. Instead of doing a list, I am going to do what I did last year and give out arbitrary and imaginary awards to those who deserved them. It is more fun to come up with silly names quite frankly. So without further ado…

The make me laugh and cry award (aka best Irish film of 2013) - Good Vibrations

This is a film that blindsided me this year. It tells the story of Terri Hooley, record shop owner, music producer, dreamer and bad husband who brought punk to Belfast in the 1970s and 80s. This film is an absolute joy to behold, emotional without being cloying, harsh without being brutal. There are tears and laughs in equal measure but crucially they are earned with a terrific tone and a great screenplay. Richard Dormer is terrific in the main role. The scene when he hears a certain record for the first time is just beautiful to behold. This is an absolute triumph and it is easily the best Irish film of 2013.

The ‘What’s Up Doc?’ award – Broken Song

The best Irish documentary this year was the wonderful Broken Song directed by Claire Dix. It tells the story of a group of young lads who rap. They are predominantly from the Finglas/Ballymun area of Dublin. Git and Costello have a father/son relationship which they both seem to draw on for lyrical inspiration. They also try to mentor some of the younger kids of the area. The songs themselves are lyrically brilliant, the content reflecting lives lived and dreams that slipped away. Into this comes singer/songwriter Willa Lee, who has a voice most singers would kill for. But he is also a troublemaker and a little bit too lazy. Dix delves lightly into their pasts but without reducing the film to working class misery porn which can happen in films such as this. At its heart, Broken Song is a simple story well told. And it is all the better for it.

The ‘overnight sensation’ award - Paul Duane

If you do not know who he is now he will be more familiar to you in 2014. Duane has had a superb year with Barbaric Genius released on DVD, a superb documentary (Natan) on the way, and a TV show about to air on RTE and BBC 4 (Amber). If that is not enough Variety only went and named him on their highly prestigious 10 Directors to watch in 2014 list. He is an all round good egg and very entertaining on Twitter (@MrPaulDuane). Mark my words this time next year he could be announced as the director of Transformers 5. We can only hope he can resist the lure of Hollywood and keep making the quality Irish films he has been making.

The ‘this kid’s got something’ first film award - Gerard Barrett Pilgrim Hill

Pilgrim Hill was released to talk of an instant classic and of a serious talent to behold. The talk of a masterpiece doesn’t help either the filmmaker or Irish film in general. Pilgrim Hill is not a masterpiece but it is a good enough film to suggest the birth of a major Irish filmmaker. The story of Jimmy Walsh and his life on his farm is lean, beautifully shot and very confident. It has a feeling of authenticity rarely seen. You get the feeling that Barrett and lead actor Joe Mullins know this terrain very well. They have carved out a memorable and low key film with a great central character at the heart of it. I cannot wait for Barrett’s next film to come along.

The 1^st Annual ‘just release the f*cking film will ya’ award – Tin Can Man

This is an easy winner. It is Tin Can Man by Ivan Kavanagh. It will be the same winner every year until this film gets a cinema release. Seriously people you have no idea how good this film is. Hassle your local TD. It needs to be seen.

A couple of honourable mentions. Citadel by Ciaran Foy was a very interesting film that fell away into genre conventions a little too much. But there is more than enough to suggest that he will make something excellent in the future.

It has not been on general release yet but the excellent documentary Where I Am by Pamela Drynan is a terrific and humbling story of what happened to American writer Robert Drake. It did screen in the IFI over the summer so I do not know if is getting a general release. It has been an excellent year for Irish documentaries as evidenced by the above choices and I have still to see The Summit! I will do so soon.

So that is it for 2013. Keep your eyes peeled on the blog for an article on Irish cinema in 2014 which I will publish over the next couple of weeks.  

Dublin Film Festival 2013 Reviews - #3 Where I Am

There is an elegant simplicity to Pamela Drynan’s remarkable documentary Where I Am. This is meant by way of praise. There are documentaries I have seen which sometimes feel the need to digitally create or reconstruct the key moments of their stories. This can be done for artistic reasons and it works, but sometimes it is done through a lack of confidence in the strength of the story itself (Project Nim springs instantly to mind). Drynan’s film has a wonderful through-line here: to document the return to Ireland of American writer Robert Drake a decade after he was almost beaten to death and left brain damaged.

Drake, who is gay, was living in Sligo and was savagely set upon in 1999 by two local youths. During the youths’ trial there was an unseemly spin put out that Drake was some sort of sexual predator. After years of rehabilitation Drake can now speak but is in a wheelchair and in need of constant care.  His journey back to Ireland was to see how the lives of his two attackers (who got 8 years in prison) had fared compared to his. This journey is captured in the minutiae of Robert’s life. It is seen best in the efforts made to do the simplest of tasks such as getting out of bed or dressing. But it is not done in a pitying way.

Indeed Robert would not see it that way. He is forgiving, optimistic and genuinely moved to be back in a country that he loves. His carer Butch (hilarious on camera with a real and warm personality) is also this way and they form an unlikely but entertaining screen double act. But there is sorrow and anger beneath the surface. Robert’s partner Kieran who found him after the attack is not so forgiving.

Robert visits Dublin and Sligo and on the way meets various people who he had known and also people who helped in his recovery. There is an overwhelming moment during the film that takes place at a point that is totally unexpected. This works to enhance the moment and deepen the feeling. Where I Am is a film of deep humanity, full of optimism. Robert’s determination to let in light where most would suffer in darkness is a testament to the human spirit. This is a film that deserves a wider release.

My Irish films to see at Jameson Dublin International Film Festival

There are quite a number of Irish films showing at this year’s festival so how do you know which ones to see? The answer is you don’t! That is the wonderful thing about film festivals, the film you are most looking forward to can be a let down, and a film you have very little expectation from can surprise and delight you. This is the wondrous thing about cinema and the main reason I am obsessed with it. With this in mind here are the Irish films I will be seeing at this year’s festival. You can expect full reviews of these films soon (not sure when, as I am attending 17 films at the festival this year!).

1. The Good Man

Starring The Wire’s own Tommy Carcetti, Aidan Gillen stars as Michael, a banker (boo!) whose life begins to unravel after an accident. It is the unexpected collision with another mans life, Sifoso, in Cape Town that will ultimately be his reckoning. There is the possibility that this film will descend into cliché but I am optimistic that we will get something here that will say something about ourselves and the world in general.

Screening: 16^th February 4pm Cineworld 11

2. Where I Am

This documentary tells the story of Robert Drake, an American writer who was viciously assaulted and left for dead by two men in Sligo in 1999. Left permanently brain damaged and unable to walk, Drake was painted as a predatory gay man at the trial of his assailants. The documentary follows Drake as he returns to Ireland over a decade later. This is a story I knew very little about and it is a film I am really looking forward to seeing.

Screening: 16^th February 6.45pm Lighthouse 1

3. Broken Song

This unlikely documentary follows three Dublin men, Git, Costello and Willa Lee who see themselves as street poets, hip hop artists and songwriters. This film raises the intriguing question: namely can we see past people’s roots and upbringing and see what is inside? As a working class northsider myself I am fascinated by my own response to the question. We may have a Pyjama Girls for young men on our hands here.

Screening: 19^th February 6.10pm IFI 1

4. Jump

‘Jump follows the lives of four twenty-somethings whose lives collide one fateful New Year's Eve amidst the ancient walls of Derry, Northern Ireland in a night of fast talk, accidents and intrigue.’ To be honest this is the kind of all too familiar description that makes me nervous going to see some Irish films. But should it have more than the description suggests we could have a real winner on our hands.

Screening: 19^th February 9pm Lighthouse 1

5. Milo

This is the story of 10 year old Milo who is unaware that he suffers from a rare genetic disease. His parents keep him under strict control but invariably real life gets in the way. This Irish/Dutch co-production could be a small gem but the real worry is if the script is strong enough to sustain a feature as the story seems quite slight. I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

Screening: 23^rd February 3:45pm Cineworld 11

6. The Moth Diaries

I do not even know where to begin with this one. An IFB co-funded horror film from the director of American Psycho should really sell itself but bad reviews seem to have sunk its chances. I will approach it with an open mind as I am a fan of the director and of its Irish star Sarah Bolger but this one worries me the most.

Screening: 23^rd February 6pm Cineworld 8

One to note: Natan

Irish filmmaker Paul Duane’s Natan, about a French film pioneer largely forgotten should certainly be a must see for people who are interested in film history (I will be there). I was a big fan of his film Barbaric Genius  and although this is a film  not set in or about Ireland it is directed by a fine Irish filmmaker.

Screening: 15^th February 6.10pm IFI 1

One to avoid: The Hardy Bucks Movie

Now I know I said that you should keep an open mind but this is a film I would sell a kidney to avoid. It sold out quite quickly so I could not see it anyway but not being a fan of the show or the trailer for the film, I am fine with missing out. Using the classic TV show trope of sending the cast on holiday (Euro 2012 here) this one seems destined to be awful. But who knows, maybe it will ‘buck’ the trend (see what I did there). Knowing what I know about cinema then, I expect this to be a huge box office success.

Screening: 18^th February 8.15pm Lighthouse 1

Honourable mentions for films I won't see at the festival but have heard good things about are The Summit and Black Ice. I am sure i will see these two in the future.

If you would like to purchase tickets for these films or any others here is the link: http://www.jdiff.com/index.php/guide/guide/buying_tickets

 So these are the films I will be seeing.  Have you got some other Irish films you will be seeing? Let me know below.