- Priest: Do you think God gives a damn about miniature donkeys, Colm?
- Colm Doherty: I fear he doesn’t. And I fear that’s where it’s all gone wrong.
Table of Contents
What on Earth Did I Just Watch?
The thoughts that immediately came to mind after I finished watching movie were one of bewilderment. I didn’t know much about this movie other than the synopsis on Letterboxd and the cover. I didn’t watch any trailers beforehand and I didn’t read any (serious) reviews of the movie. So going into it, I had no expectations.
Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
Synopsis of the movie on Letterboxd
After a day or so of sitting with the movie in my head, I am happy to say that I have come to grips with it somewhat. On the surface, this movie is about two people whose friendship comes apart at the seams slowly at first and then in rapid violent bursts. There more here under the surface that is worth talking about so let’s do that.
Under the Surface
The first aspect of this movie I’ll praise is the beautiful scenery on display in this movie. Whatever the location they chose was a gorgeous choice that complimented the subject matter of the movie. The second good aspect of this move are the acting performances, everyone does a great performance of their respective characters. That is where my praise ends.
I found the dynamic of the two main characters to be annoying in a way that is not particularly interesting, This is a story of two men who don’t know really how to express their emotions about each other and who use their own egos as weapons against each other until there’s a literal pile of wreckage in their wake. That by itself is not interesting.
There are hints of more interesting topics in the background: the Irish Civil war, Pádraic’s sister Siobhán who seems like a far more interesting person than literally any other character in the movie. I would have loved to see the movie where she is a librarian on the mainland, I think that would be good.
There is a concept that is pervasive throughout the movie’s narrative, one about how the mundane nature of everyday life can be soul-crushing and how life can seem like a endless series of dull conversations until you die. The way this movie delivers that message is through the lens of a dark comedy. I don’t think it particularly works. At the end of it I was left wondering what conclusion we were supposed to come away with. What was the grand thesis?
So at the end I feel like I watched a movie where there were a lot of themes bubbling under the surface but none of them came together to form anything satisfying. Perhaps then that is the awkwardly presented thesis of the movie: life is not about providing satisfying endings to stories but about the small things in between. It’s the journey, not the destination kind of thing.
This movie however is not a journey I care to repeat.