Horseshoe – Film Review
by Brian Merriman

Written and co-directed by Adam O’Keeffe
Co-directed by Edwin Mullane
Starring: Carolyn Bracken, Lalor Roddy, Jed Murray, Neil Fleming, Eric O’Brien, Mary Murray, Caroline Harvey, John Connors and Sean Doyle.
Composer by Anna Mullarkey
Cinematographer: Jass Foley
Produced by Mo O’Connell, Adam O’Keeffe and Edwin Mullane
Produced by Wavewalker Films and 3 Hot Whiskeys

Duration 88 minutes

The latest addition to the impressive repertoire of Irish-produced films is Horseshoe, a film of Adam O’Keefe’s latest screenplay about four estranged siblings returning to their North Sligo home for the reading of their late father’s will. ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a relative’ is rarely more true when these four estranged siblings return to a scene of unhappy memory, to finally get some cash and closure, or so they hope. There are financial struggles that led to the conversion of the large family home into the Horseshoe Hostel, which also failed to restore their previous fortune. Their wealth remains in the location and landscape.

Horseshoe is beautifully set, and cinematographer Jass Foley clearly is in awe of the magical landscape North Sligo has to offer – rugged coastline, the mystical Ben Bulben and an evocative autumnal countryside.

Billed as a comedy drama, it is more the latter, though a faltering St Brigid’s Cross in the front room certainly tries to lift the spirits in the gloomy, tense household. The first twenty minutes are slow and thoughtful. The lush cinematography and underscore by Anna Mullarkey work hard to maintain our interest, but the dramatic arc does unfold impressively as the plot steadily develops.

Lalor Roddy draws from the archetypal violent authoritarian father figures that dominate Irish stories of previous generations. He now appears in his children’s imagination, triggering memories and goading them into unexpected, long-delayed resolution.

John Connors’ implausible Solicitor, lightens the mood by presenting a major challenge to all four siblings to work together to secure their own future. Can they finally get closure on a childhood that drew some to flee the nest at the earliest opportunity and others to stay at home, because the spectacular locality is in their blood?

Eldest son, Jer, is dourly played by Jed Murray, who still lives at home with youngest sibling Evan, a likeable, sensitive portrayal by Eric O’Brien. The only sister, Cass, is an emotional barometer well played by Carolyn Bracken.

The familial energy comes from the second son, Niall, in a tour de force by Neill Fleming. It is Niall who really adds momentum to the plot, hauls them back to the present and has the broadest emotional and experiential arc.

There is much to divide the Canavans. We get an insight into their four individual circumstances and the Father’s post-mortem, justification for his revisionist behaviour, steadily co-directed by Edwin Mullane and writer O’Keeffe.

None have a happy marriage, none were the offspring of a happy marriage, and these worlds collide in a drama that matures as it unfolds, into a very watchable and accomplished piece of storytelling.

Some supporting roles in O’Keeffe’s screenplay are almost superfluous to the main relationship dynamic, with Mary Murray and Sean Doyle making a welcome appearance on our screens again. Caroline Harvey’s Ivy is the most rounded of the supporting roles, in that she has a clear connection with Niall.

There are many layers, as expected in a story of land, property, and a dysfunctional rural Irish family. The returnees bring their own baggage, and O’Keeffe’s empathy is expressed in his thrust towards reconciliation and release from the past to a more supportive and connected future.

There is drama, tension and revelation in this relatable family story. There are clashes of ambitions for the future, and those who are facing a relationship dysfunction in their own lives, similar to what they grew up in. Sometimes ‘blood is thicker than water’, and the Canavan family are on a tightrope to see will that be the case for them, or has it all been too little, too late.

Irish movie-making is a huge challenge, with limited resources and an abundance of ambition. Wavewalker and 3 Hot Whiskeys have maximised homegrown talent and storytelling, and have given this Irish family plot their all. There is much to appreciate in their accomplishment, in location, evolution and yet another spectacular presentation of our Irish landscape, that provides such a rich backdrop to this engaging and well-produced dramatic tale.