What kind of father sends his teenage daughter into the cellar of a spooky old house, late at night in the dead of winter, for a bottle of booze? The da in the first Irish-language horror film, naturally. “An Taibhse” (“The Ghost”) is set in post-famine Ireland, centering on a father-daughter team hired as caretakers of a remote Georgian mansion—an ancient 15-room abode with blood-red walls.
There isn’t much of a plot, nor is the movie—written and directed by John Farrelly—terribly original. What it does have is striking cinematography (by Farrelly and Ross Power) and superb sound design (by Noelle Rowley), in addition to compelling performances by Tom Kerrisk and Livvy Hill. Keep an eye peeled (in a manner of speaking) if you missed it at the Newport Beach Film Festival.
Roughly a dozen features were imported from the Emerald Isle for the festival. “Fidil Ghorm” (“Blue Fiddle),” the other one I caught, was also in the Irish language. There’s nothing profound about this movie about a 10-year-old girl who believes in the magic of music and its healing power, as embodied in old fiddle player who befriends her, but it’s as delightful as it is family-friendly and down to earth.
Directed with a steady hand by Anne McCabe from a script from Patricia Forde, it’s definitely worth chasing down. The impressive performances by young non-actor Edith Lawlor (a bona fide fiddle champ who charmed festival audiences in person) and Dublin Gate Theatre veteran Barry McGovern are chief among its pleasures.
I ended up skipping the premiere of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” at the festival in favor of a stage production, which coincidently opened at A Noise Within in Pasadena last weekend and continues through Nov. 10. (The film is slated to open in cinemas Nov. 8, before hitting streaming platforms).
The Pulitzer Prize-winning play is a must-see for anyone the least bit interested in the heritage and culture of African Americans, or theatre itself for that matter. The play’s rich language is heightened by a musical component not present in most of the others in Wilson’s extraordinary American Century Cycle (apart from “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”).
There are stellar performances among a first-rate ensemble by Kai A. Ealy (Boy WIllie) and Nija Okoro (Berniece) as a brother and sister feuding over a precious family heirloom—the titular piano—and whether to sell it for pragmatic reasons or hang onto it for sentimental value. Alex Morris (Doaker), as an old duffer who has seen it all, is also a standout.
Gregg T. Daniel, who has directed ANW’s four previous ventures into Wilson’s territory (the company plans to do the entire Cycle), delivers once more. His perceptive take on the characters and their colorful milieu is aided and abetted by set designer Tesshi Nakagawa and lighting designer Brandon Baruch. Tix and info: anoisewithin.org.
Photo: Kai A. Ealy, Nija Okoro and Alex Morris in “The Piano Lesson” at A Noise Within. Photo by Craig Schwartz.
Recent Comments