Twice Shy
Director: Tom Ryan
Talent: Shane Murray Corcoran, Iseult Casey, Ardal O’Hanlon, Pat Shortt
Released: 8th July
This low-key Irish indie unfolds over the course of twenty-four hours, as young couple Andy (Murray-Corcoran) and Maggie (Casey) travel from Tipperary to London so that she can end her unplanned pregnancy. It is a potentially thorny subject which director Tom Ryan’s screenplay approaches with commendable unfussiness, refusing to be drawn into a political debate and focusing instead on the experience of the central characters. But the formulaic, flashback-heavy structure, which takes us from the early stages of their courtship to their college days in Dublin as the first signs of trouble in their relationship begin to appear, soon begins to grate, and the film is perhaps a tad too gentle and lacking in drama.
Both leads are likable and effective, however: Murray-Corcoran conveys a deep sense of decency in a subtly affecting turn, while Casey, in a promising screen debut, handles her character’s conflicted state of mind with skill and verve. There is also strong support from Pat Shortt and particularly Ardal O’Hanlon, who is excellent as the male protagonist’s clinically depressed father.
But although Ryan makes fine use of the Irish and English locations and demonstrates a good ear for dialogue in his writing, he never quite comes to grips with the material. His direction is inert and far too reliant on twee musical queues to provoke an emotional response, and one is never really sure of what, if anything, he has to say, beyond the fact that young people are more often than not their own worst enemies.
That being said, he clearly has a talent for extracting naturalistic performances from untried actors, and provided he starts taking a few more risks with his storytelling, he should have a bright future ahead of him. Not exactly electrifying cinema, then, but admirable in its intentions and probably still worth checking out.
Words – Felipe Deakin
