Film Reviews

Garage

• Rating:
• Director: Lenny Abrahamson.
• Starring: Pat Shortt, Conor Ryan, Don Wycherley, Anne-Marie Duff.
• Details: Ireland / 85mins (15A).

The Adam And Paul team of director Lenny Abrahamson and writer Mark O'Halloran present Garage, a downbeat coming-of-age tale. Set somewhere in Tipperary, Garage sees Pat Shortt's simple-minded and kind-hearted Josie run a small garage on the edge of a sleepy village. Josie's life takes a turn when the teenage David (Ryan) arrives in the garage to work weekends. Striking up a rapport with the boy, the friendship awakens some feelings in Josie he never knew he had. Like Adam And Paul and his recent TV series Prosperity, O'Halloran's dialogue is sparse and what's there is direct, simple and stripped back to the bare minimum. When the characters do speak, O'Halloran shows once again his talent for nailing dialogue that sounds 'Irish' without being 'Oirish'. Comedy actors in serious roles are nothing new, and although Josie's character relies heavily on the sympathy vote, Shortt excels with an understated performance. The plot takes a long time to get going - what can be called 'patient' can also be called 'dull' - but the ending is worth waiting for. One thing that has to be sorted if the Irish film industry is to compete with the big boys, is the 'look' of the films, as Garage succumbs to the old problems. Whether it's the light in this country or problems in the photography department, Irish films all look the same, and this tends to let down some decent scripts that have been produced.

Review by Gavin Burke