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Event: -
The award winning debut feature film by Philip Doherty
.......image copyright & courtesy of Pale Rebel Productions ....... Genre: Dark Comedy ... Run time: 1h 35m
Redemption of a Rogue is a dark comedy which will be presented at this year's Irish Film Festival. It's writer and director Philip Doherty's first feature film and has already achieved critical acclaim and won multiple awards. Set in Ireland's County Cavan, in a fictional town called Ballylough, Doherty's skilfully curated a gem of a film which features a brilliant score by Robbie Perry.
The film consists of five acts which follow its protagonist, Jimmy Cullen through his trials and tribulations on return to his home town after a lengthy absence, 'to earn his salvation'.
Act 1 is titled 'The Condemned'. Turns out Jimmy (Aaron Monaghan) has a lot to atone for and his first stop is to his family home, where his brother, Damien (Kieran Roche) and ailing father (Hugh O'Brien) live. All doesn't go to plan though, Jimmy and his father's relationship has never been a good one - Jimmy is haunted by flashbacks to the many times his father used his fists to control and punish him. Things soon go from bad to worse as his father suddenly drops dead, following a confrontation and angry outburst from Jimmy.
However, the death of their father doesn't make Jimmy and Damien's life any easier as their father's solicitor stops the funeral procession during the pouring rain, advising of the condition in their father's will that he must, under no circumstances be buried on a rainy day. Here begins the real path of obstruction to Jimmy's redemption and some truly bizarre and funny scenes.
Before I go any further, check out the following trailer which features many of the film's highlights (or should I say 'lowlights'):
Act 2 - 'The Children' sees Jimmy reminiscing about his past relationship with Patricia (Liz Fitzgibbon). Jimmy arrives unannounced to Patricia's home, to right a traumatic past wrong and she promptly rebuffs him. In the meantime, it's still raining and the town's children have inexplicably stopped talking the moment Jimmy's father died and it started raining. The local community are not at all pleased and are holding Jimmy and Damien accountable for both the rain and the children.
In Act 3 - 'The Pariah' we're introduced to Masha (Aisling O'Mara) who Jimmy witnesses being forced off the stage of the local pub by its patrons. Jimmy comes to her aid and they're soon forming a bond of sorts.
There's some great scenes expounding Irish superstitions and traditions as they set out to stop the rain by buying multiple figurines of The Child of Prague and follow the 5 rules which are believed to bring sunny weather. The final rule being the most important - that The Child of Prague must be placed in the garden the night before a couple's wedding.
Jimmy quickly makes arrangements for an 'emergency wedding' for the following day but rejects Masha's sexual advances that night as he has been abstaining from sex for some time (his reasons are intriguing). This marks a major turning point for Jimmy, when he awakens the following morning to discover he has experienced a very significant event. As a result, Jimmy suddenly becomes empowered in life.
Act 4 - 'The Plagues' sees local business owner and councillor Harry Gilsenan (Charlie Bonner) and his henchmen visit Jimmy's home, to have a solemn discussion about the 'God-fearing phenomenon' linked to Jimmy's father's death, urging Jimmy and Damien to bury their father ASAP. This leads to Jimmy challenging Harry by theorising that perhaps there's another (more logical) explanation to the cause of this phenomenon and the ancient plagues, other than an Act of God.
Not being a religious person, I found 'The Plagues' to be enlightening, especially Jimmy's visit to the church and his resulting epiphany which is the catalyst for the next act.
Act 5 - 'The Redemption': Adding to the mix is the debt Damien owes to some very threatening loan sharks - if he doesn't pay it back soon, he'll experience extreme bodily harm. Jimmy devises a plan which involves Damien and Masha. All I can divulge is that this plan miraculously leads to a happy ending!
If this review has piqued your interest, then check out The 2022 Irish Film Festival program here.
