Tony (Mark Smith) is a man living with Down Syndrome in a community house in which things aren’t always as good as he’d like them to be. Bedtime is often disrupted by other residents, and Tony knows that he will have to go to great lengths in order to avoid frustration and emotional turmoil. Headspace is Tony’s story, one in which he is seen trying to navigate the typical and not-so-typical hurdles of life.
For anyone that follows the Academy Awards, you know that a film called An Irish Goodbye won the award for best short film this year. The film showcased a young man with Down Syndrome dealing with the death of his mother–and for the first time I think that the world truly understood the possibilities for film in this regard. Here we are, less than a year removed, and Headspace is diving back into a similar space, one where Smith has the ability to showcase his talents. This film, like An Irish Goodbye has been added to the shortlist of potential Oscar nominees–and Smith is likely the most prominent reason why.
Headspace is bookended by Smith delivering comedy. The film starts slowly, slowly, but effectively presenting Tony to viewers and allowing them to see the full scope of who and what he is. Through subtle comedy, comedy that relies heavily on Smith’s chemistry with Simon Delaney (Gerry)–he never misses a beat, appealing to viewers every step of the way. The two feed off of one another with great aplomb, with something that feels akin to a father-son relationship. In this opening scene Smith shines, and he brilliantly invites viewers into Headspace in a way that allows many to better understand Tony. The film ends in a similar fashion, but with Smith’s comedy being far more direct. Once again, he delivers. Throughout the course of the film, however, Smith is tasked with visiting a series of emotions and tones, and he finds his way effectively. It’s ultimately his comedy that shines, those moments that caused me to laugh out loud in which he’s the most entertaining. He never misses a beat, but, again, it’s the comedy that does it for me.
Headspace is a challenging film to tackle. This team must be tactful, but honest–and it’s a delicate balance that has to be achieved in order to make the film work. I’m sure that viewers sit there and ask themselves whether or not it’s appropriate to laugh at/with the individuals shown in the film, and there’s certainly a level of uncomfortability when it comes to watching Headspace. Writer-Director Aisling Byrne does achieve an effective balance, but that doesn’t eliminate the uncomfortability that comes with the subject matter. Sure, certain direction can help with that, but I think that the other characters, characters like Siobhán (Lauren Larkin), need to be the translator here, the person that lets us know when it’s alright to laugh. There are times when Larkin does this, but it doesn’t happen often enough.
There is something of a disconnect between the subject of Headspace and viewers, and that seems to come as a result of Byrne not working to bridge this gap. I think there’s an easy fix for this, but that fix doesn’t come as often as I’d hoped. I personally have no problem laughing at whatever I happen to find funny, but the reality is that there will be many viewers who struggle with this aspect of the film–and rightfully so.
While Tony is developed brilliantly, and viewers are able to see many sides of his character–I think that those secondary and tertiary characters needed to be better developed. There needed to be more communication with viewers in order to allow us to see and understand what is and isn’t acceptable. Headspace is lacking something in this regard, in the sense that it doesn’t effectively relay information to viewers. We can’t always read between the lines when watching Headspace, and while Smith is brilliant, he’s not quite enough to carry the film.
Written & Directed by Aisling Byrne.
Starring Mark Smith, Daniel Ryan, Jackie O’Hagan, Lauren Larkin, Simon Delaney, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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