BRING THEM DOWN
(director/writer: Chris Andrews; screenwriters: story by Andrews & John Hourigan; cinematographer: Nick Cooke; edSusan Lynchitor: George Cragg; music: Hannah Peel; cast: Christopher Abbott (Michael), Barry Keoghan (Jack), Colm Meaney (Ray), Nora-Jane Noone (Caroline), Grace Daily (Young Caroline), Paul Ready (Gary), Susan Lynch (Peggy); Runtime: 106; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Ivana MacKinnon, Jacob Swam Hyam, Ruth Treacy, Julianne Forde, Jean-Yves Roubin, Cassandre Warnauts; MUBI/Wild Swim Films; 2024-Ireland-in English, Gaelic)
“The bleak drama might be a little too woolly for some.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Chris Andrews in his directorial debut does a fair job telling a story about a neighborly dispute over rustling between two sheep farming families.
The drama is set in the desolate rural Irish countryside.
The family sheep business is run by Michael (Christopher Abbott, the only non-Irish actor in the cast). Ray (Colm Meaney) is his overbearing, disabled and home-bound father.
Michael’s mother Peggy (Susan Lynch) was killed in a car accident in which her son started recklessly speeding after mom told him she was divorcing his dad. His girlfriend Caroline (Grace Daily), also a passenger, was emotionally damaged and received facial scars. The accident left Michael with a life-time of guilt-feelings, in which he isolated himself from the world.
Years later Michael’s ex-girlfriend Caroline (Nora-Jane Noone) is married to the ambitious sheep farmer Gary (Paul Ready), whose farm is in debt after over-diversifying. Meanwhile Michael’s family sheep business is doing well.
Caroline’s callow son Jack (Barry Keoghan) informs Michael that two of his prize rams have been found dead on his farm. This puts the two families on a collision course that doesn’t bode well for either of them.
The bleak drama might be a little too woolly for some. But others might appreciate how the twists and turns keep things spinning. In any case, everyone involved feels the pain of trying to survive. But the story lacks enough dramatics to be entertaining.
It played at the Toronto International Film Festival.
REVIEWED ON 11/18/2024 GRADE: B-
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