Film Reviews

Zonad

• Rating:
• Director: John Carney
• Starring: Simon Delaney
• Details: IRELAND/82mins 15A

To put it simply, sans hyperbole or over-articulation, Zonad is very funny. John Carney had a huge surprise hit with Once a couple of years back, which seems to have given him the wiggle room he needed to go out and tackle this kind of quirky production. Co-directing here with his brother Kieran and casting his Bachelor's Walk star Simon Delaney in the lead role, you get the impression that, creatively, everyone was on the same page.
The set-up is, of course, inherently ridiculous, but the cast all play it so unabashedly straight that it's often hilarious. The Carney siblings even manage to give the film scale on a slight budget, by shooting smartly and not over directing - something many an Irish director has been guilty of before.
During a meteor shower being watched by the naive inhabitants of a small town in rural Ireland, a strange man turns up in a local family's living room. Dressed in a red latex jumpsuit, he appears to have hastily consumed whatever was in their fridge, and then passed out on the floor. Once awoken, he tells them he's Zonad, an extra terrestrial from another planet, sent to earth on a reconnaissance mission. Taken in by the naive family as one of their own, Zonad is soon taking advantage of his new found celebrity status in the village - boozing for free and whoring about like his life depended on it.
This is the kind of film that, if directed and written by folk not from these shores, could've been an absolute disaster. There's a very thin line between funny and absurd with stories of this ilk, but when the filmmakers, and indeed their actors, are acutely aware of the tone they want, it can work wonderfully. The sardonic, overlapping comments from villagers, the purposely stereotyped supporting characters; all of these elements have given us a surprisingly original and amusing film.
Delaney really grasps the opportunity presented to him here with both hands; showing a strong ability for physical comedy. The supporting cast are universally stellar, with Janice Byrne picking up a well deserved IFTA nomination, and Don Wycherley having a blast as the strangely sadistic cop with his own unique way of enforcing the law. A rare occasion where an Irish comedy might actually put bums on seats - this deserves every success it finds.

Review by Mike Sheridan