If you’re confused about what actually happened when Ireland secured its banking guarantee from Europe (and who isn’t), then this film from director Ian Power and starring Peter Coonan from Love/Hate should go some way to have you at least sounding like you know what you’re talking about.
The film is neither documentary nor drama; it falls somewhere in between. The problem is that it probably should have done one or the other. As a documentary it could have presented the events with authority, but if we call it a drama, then there is far too much financial jargon to keep the narrative attractive. It’s not a monument to the power of cinema, but it is an important document for us as a people.
There is a certain pleasure to be taken from having the people involved at the time represented on the screen and acting out the events that caused the country so much financial hardship. It’s car-crash cinema if you will. The anger and frustration of seeing our politicians joking around while the country’s financial health crumbles is very satisfying in a hateful, gloomy, masochistic kind of way. Perfect for an Irish audience if you ask me!
The film was originally a stage play and it shows. There are lots and lots of scenes of people talking in rooms that have been sexed up with flashy bits of emails and newspaper headlines running across the screen. It’s a shame when filmmakers don’t stray further outside their comfort zones and try to tell a story in a fresh way.
The point of watching a film like this though isn’t the film itself, it probably has more to do with who you watch it with and the conversation you have after the credits roll.
Image: Wildcard Distribution Video: Limelight communications
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