Arracht

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Arracht
Directed byTomás Ó Súilleabháin
Screenplay byTom Sullivan
Produced byCúán Mac Conghail
Starring
  • Dónall Ó Héalaí
  • Saise Ní Chuinn
  • Dara Devaney
CinematographyKate McCullough
Edited byMary Crumlish
Music byKíla
Production
company
Macalla Teoranta
Distributed byBreak Out Pictures
Release dates
Running time
86 minutes
CountryRepublic of Ireland
LanguageIrish

Arracht (Irish pronunciation:

period drama film directed and written by Tomás Ó Súilleabháin set during the Great Famine of Ireland.[1] It was selected as the Irish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[2]

Plot

the Midlands, leading to widespread famine
. The blight soon reaches Connemara, where the potato crops wither in the fields. The local landlord increases rents and sends two armed men to Colmán's home to collect. Patsy disarms one of them but is pressured by Colmán into relinquishing the gun as Colmán requests a meeting with the landlord.

At the landlord's estate, Colmán unsuccessfully tries to persuade him not to raise rents due to the famine devastating the country. Patsy wanders off where he encounters the two collection agents and the landlord's daughter. He murders all three before being discovered by Colmán, who is shocked by what he finds and notices a frightened young girl has witnessed the scene. Patsy kills the landlord, leading to a confrontation with the Sharkey brothers in which Sean is fatally stabbed. Enraged, Colmán brutally beats Patsy and leaves him for dead.

Two years pass during which Colmán loses his wife and son to the effects of the famine. Living in a cave by the shore and haunted by visions of his family, he attempts suicide by drowning but is compelled to surface. Later, he discovers a sick young girl – Kitty – in what used to be his cottage. He nurses her back to health and recognises her as the girl who witnessed Patsy's murder spree. Locals desperate for Colmán's catch stab him in a confrontation at the cottage. As he recovers, he teaches Kitty how to row, catch fish and treat wounds. Time passes and the bond between Colmán and Kitty deepens. Kitty despairs at not being able to help the starving people she encounters but Colmán reminds her that their own meagre food supply is dependent on access to the sea and they will be unable to fish when winter comes. Kitty strikes up a friendship with a local girl and her mother, whom Colmán quietly persuades to adopt Kitty and take her to the mainland to ensure her survival once winter arrives.

It is then revealed that Patsy survived Colmán's assault and has framed him for the landlord's murder. Allied with a British agent and a police constable, he tracks down Colmán to his old cottage where he recognises Kitty and takes her hostage as the agent arrests and beats Colmán. When the agent is distracted by Kitty's cries, Colmán beats him to death and subdues the police constable, taking his gun in the process. He confronts Patsy, who threatens to kill Kitty. She stabs him in the leg using a knife previously gifted to her by Colmán, allowing him to strangle Patsy to death while a traumatised Kitty suffers flashbacks to the murders she witnessed. As Patsy dies, Colmán and Kitty embrace.

Cast

Production

Location filming took place in

Lettermullan, County Galway. Produced by Dublin-based television and film production company Macalla Teoranta, Arracht was financially backed by Screen Ireland, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and TG4.[3]
Executive Producers Brendan McCarthy and John McDonnell of Fantastic Films.

Release

Arracht received its world premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia on 29 November 2019.[4]

The Irish premiere was at the

COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of all cinemas.[6][7] Arracht had its UK premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival on 8 March 2020, and won the Audience Award.[8] Arracht screened at the online editions of the 66th Taormina Film Festival in Italy,[9] and the 32nd Galway Film Fleadh on Sunday, 12 July.[10] It finally received a general release on 6 November 2020.[11]

Critical response

Screen Daily said that "although Arracht could be improved by some shifts in emphasis to give the latter half of the plot more clarity and emphasis, [Ó Súilleabháin] still pulls off an authentic drama/thriller, with a powerful impact."[12]

The Irish Times wrote that it was "unmissable" and "beautifully crafted."[13] Little White Lies included Arracht in their list, "10 highlights from the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2019" [14] at no. 2, and wrote "this well acted and beautifully scored film is born of the land itself," calling the film "an austere and implacable drama about finding hope when all else is lost". A review on Filmuforia.co.uk called Arracht "an enigmatic mood piece" with a "brilliant cast" and a "haunting intensity of its remote countryside setting in the coastal region of Connemara".[15] Film Ireland called it a "fiercely impressive feature debut" from director Tom Sullivan, one that has a "real feeling of authenticity".[16] Scannain.com gave the film a 4.0 score out of 5, describing a "phenomenal cast... with stellar performances from the lead duo [Ó Héalaí and Ní Chuinn]".[17] Into Films declared Arracht "a searingly austere film which deserves the widest possible audience" after its UK Premiere at Glasgow Film Festival.[18]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipients Outcome
2020 Dublin International Film Festival Best Irish Film Arracht Won
Aer Lingus Discovery Award
Dónall Ó Héalaí
Won
Glasgow Film Festival Audience Award Arracht Won
American Golden Picture International Film Festival[19] Best Feature Film Arracht Won
Best Director Tom Sullivan Won
Best Cinematographer Kate McCullough Won
Best Child Actress Saise Ní Chuinn Won
Best Lead Actor
Dónall Ó Héalaí
Honorable Mention
Irish Film & Television Academy Awards (IFTA)[20] Best Film 2020 Arracht Nominated
Best Director - Film Tom Sullivan Nominated
Best Script - Film Tom Sullivan Nominated
Actor in a Leading Role - Film
Dónall Ó Héalaí
Nominated
Actor in a Supporting Role - Film Dara Devaney Nominated
Best Cinematography Kate McCullough Nominated
Best Costume Design Clodagh Deegan Nominated
Best Original Music Kíla Won
Best Production Design Padraig O'Neill Nominated
Best Sound Peter Blayney, Alan Scully, Brendan Rehill Won
Best Makeup & Hair Niamh O'Loan, Niamh Glynn Nominated
Kimolos International Film Festival Golden Tree Award (Best Film) Arracht Won
British & Irish Film Festival Luxembourg Critics Choice Award Arracht Won
Gradaim Cumarsáide @ Oireachtas na Gaeilge Scannán na Bliana Arracht Won

See also

References

  1. ^ "Review of Irish Film @ DIFF 2020: Arracht". 2 March 2020.
  2. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (24 November 2020). "Ireland Picks 'Arracht' for Oscars' International Feature Film Race". Variety. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  3. ^ Murphy, Niall (9 March 2020). "Irish drama Arracht wins awards in Dublin and Glasgow". Scannain.
  4. ^ "Arracht - filmmaker Tom Sullivan on his famine thriller". rte.ie. 17 February 2020.
  5. ^ Murphy, Niall (27 January 2020). "Watch the new trailer for Tom Sullivan's famine drama Arracht". Scannain.
  6. ^ "Arracht". Cine4.
  7. ^ "Arracht". macallateo.com. Macalla Teoranta. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  8. ^ Rosser, Michael. "'Arracht' wins Glasgow audience award; festival draws record admissions". Screen. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  9. ^ "ARRACHT (2019) - Taormina Film Fest". mymovies.it (in Italian). Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  10. ^ Galway Film Fleadh | Arracht, retrieved 27 July 2020
  11. ^ Molumby, Deirdre (7 September 2020). "Here's the new release date for every movie delayed in 2020". Entertainment.ie.
  12. ^ Halligan, Fionnuala. "'Arracht': Tallinn Review". Screen.
  13. ^ Brady, Tara. "Dublin International Film Festival: A guide to the best movies". The Irish Times.
  14. ^ "10 highlights from the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2019". Little White Lies. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Arracht | Monster (2019) Tallinn Black Nights 2019". Filmuforia. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Review of Irish Film @ DIFF 2020: Arracht". Film Ireland Magazine. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  17. ^ Graham (12 February 2020). "#Review: Arracht". Scannain. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  18. ^ "Into Films Review: Arracht – UK Premiere, GFT, Glasgow – into creative". 3 March 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  19. ^ "Arracht wins at American Golden Picture International Film Festival | The Irish Film & Television Network". www.iftn.ie. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  20. ^ Duffy, Rónán (14 July 2020). "Here is the full list of nominees for this year's (virtual) IFTAs". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 27 July 2020.

External links