LAKELANDS
Cert 15
100 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, drugs misuse
As parents, one of the most harrowing calls we have ever received was from our son after he had been beaten up on the streets of his university city in the early hours.
He was lucky. Unsightly cuts to his face healed and he suffered no permanent injuries.
Others have died or been brain damaged in such situations.
Such an attack is the key plank of Robert Higgins and Patrick McGivney's low-budget but intriguing drama, Lakelands.
Set in remote Ireland, it centres on a Gaelic footballer (Éanna Hardwicke) who enjoys partying as much as his sport.
But on one drunken night out with his mates, his bar room confrontation spreads outside when he is punched and kicked to the ground.
After hospital treatment, he returns to the family farm to get on with his tough day job but residual headaches linger.
Being a lad's lad, he tries to shrug them off and carry on sports training and working but as the injury takes hold, so does his bitterness.
Meanwhile, he is brought back to reality by a local lass (Danielle Galligan) who has recently returned home to look after her dying dad.
It is fair to say that Lakelands is raw and realistic. The scenes at the football club and of the hard-drinking teammates ring true.
And it also chimes in its portrayal of young people who have lost parents.
However, for the most part, Hardwicke's character is irritating and repeats the same mistakes over and over.
It seemed to me that the storyline needed pushing on a tad to give it the dramatic edge which would have made it a real winner.
That said, it is a watchable drama.
Reasons to watch: Raw and realistic
Reasons to avoid: A bit slow
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6/10
Did you know? Gaelic football is mainly played on the island of Ireland but has been spread by Irish emigrants to 70+ countries. Although strongest in Great Britain, North America, and Australia, the game is experiencing rapid growth in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia.
The final word. Robert Higgins: "It’s all brand new to us, this being our debut film, and the origins of it are very community based, since we made it in our hometown. We made it with quite a small budget: the farm was Paddy’s farm and the house we show in was Paddy’s too. We included our local football team and all our mates, so it was a real grassroots, community based way of making the film." Loud and Clear
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