This has been sitting in my Inbox for about a month or more. One look at the trailer gave me pause for thought. It looked so depressing. In a societal period where laughs were needed more than ever, this languished in the same place it arrived for good reason.
The comment most noted has been 'slow-burn', and that would be entirely if underestimatingly (not a word but should be) true. A grim and mostly unpalatable tale that really needs to convey itself in the best way it can, dragging you, kicking and screaming by the hair, along with it.
Without going into spoiler territory, it's hard to really explain the reasons for the characters' arcs, which for the most part are sure and solid, but for one, glaringly questionable example, and as such, making the story seem just as incredulous. It's not the likelihood of events taking place that beggar belief, just the response to it.
Emily Watson and Paul Mescal are already well-known and accomplished performers and they both give nothing but their best here also. The supporting cast too are reliable and authentic, particularly Aisling Franciosi as the unfortunate Sarah.
Beautifully barren as only a tiny Irish fishing village could be imagined to be, the cinematography is excellent and the script often inspired. The whole thing would have been almost perfect save for the lack of confidence in characterisation. The plot really does nothing to substantiate the script's claims and the ending will leave you frustrated. This is far from a waste of time, but it is largely uneventful and dour, but you can become easily immersed in the these people's rudimentary lives, even if certain elements of them are surprisingly unrealistic.
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