After their mother has passed away, two brothers, Lorcan (James Martin) and Turlough (Seamus O’Hara) must come together and deal with the fallout caused by that passing. Lorcan and Turlough haven’t seen one another in some time, but this death has caused them to attempt to rekindle their bond, as they try to complete each of their mother’s one-hundred dying wishes. An Irish Goodbye sees the two brothers experience life like they never had before–and while their mother’s death is heartbreaking, there’s a silver lining even in the darkest depths of this world.
Much like understanding that a silver lining exists everywhere, in every bit of drama is comedy, and the comedy often outshines the drama in the best way possible. The comedy is the absolute best part of An Irish Goodbye, and while O’Hara and the others present throughout the film are brilliant, it’s Martin that delivers peak comedy. Each and every time that Martin opens his mouth, comedy is spewed brilliantly–almost like diarrhea of the mouth in the best way possible. It’s almost hard to put into words what Martin is able to accomplish throughout the course of the film–but the easiest way to put it is that he’s perfect. He’s fun, passionate, charming, hilarious–and when An Irish Goodbye calls for it, he embodies pain, suffering, and more. His ability to be so amazingly funny throughout the film allows those moments of drama to shine even brighter, and as a result they resonate with viewers.
At one point there is dialogue layered on top of narration on top of music–and they complement one another brilliantly. While it may initially seem that this many layers at once might be too hard to follow, each of these aspects support one another in a way that viewers are able to hear and appreciate them as a whole and individually. An Irish Goodbye, while brilliantly funny, relies heavily on drama to drive the story forward–and, I mean, that makes sense considering it’s about an untimely death. The layering of these aspects helps to develop that drama–and I believe that it’s in this moment, as we are able to hear everything all at once, that we fully understand the severity of what Lorcan and Turlough are experiencing. This is a bold decision, but it pays off massively for An Irish Goodbye.
Again, in every instance of drama there exists some bit of light–and that’s literally the case as darkness is often used to express emotion and solidify the pain and suffering within each character. Simple, dark colors are often used to help guide the film, but in these instances there is a literal glimmer of light that exists. That light might appear on the face of the subject of the scene or somewhere far off in the distance. An Irish Goodbye wants the world to understand that there is always hope–and the visuals are just another way that Writer-Directors Tom Berkeley and Ross White express this, and it works wonderfully well.
I, without a shadow of a doubt, am in love with An Irish Goodbye. Martin is so amazingly charming, and he is sure to steal the hearts of viewers from the first time he opens his mouth. Through him all things are possible throughout An Irish Goodbye, and his charismatic nature simply pulls viewers further into the film. Berkeley and White make a series of artistic choices that exist throughout, bringing the story and the emotions to life with great aplomb and creating a passion as good or better than anything that I’ve seen before.
Written & Directed by Tom Berkeley & Ross White.
Starring Seamus O’Hara, James Martin, Michelle Fairley, & Paddy Jenkins.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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