Directed by Brian O’Malley. Written by David Cairns and Fiona Watson. Starring Liam Cunningham, Pollyanna McIntosh, Bryan Larkin, Hanna Stanbridge and Douglas Russell.
Plot: a mysterious stranger arrives in a small Irish police station and all hell breaks loose.
Constable Rachel Heggie (McIntosh) wakes up from a nightmare and then heads off to her work at a desolate, seaside, Irish police station. She sees a man hit another man with his car, but when she stops to help the supposed injured man has disappeared. Nevertheless, she takes the other man into custody. When they arrive at the station, they are greeted not-so-warmly by two other officers, Jennifer Mundie (Stanbridge) and Jack Warnock (Larkin). They already have another prisoner in custody for beating his wife. And then the strange man that got hit by the car walks into the station and shit intensifies severely.
First, the man (Cunningham) refuses to give his name. Second, a doctor is called to take a look at him, but when the doctor gets there, he inexplicably attacks the stranger and gets put in a cell of his own. Third, he makes everyone in the place see things that they’ve done wrong and it creeps everyone out so much that they put him in a cell, too. That is, everyone sees something bad except Rachel, who only seems to see herself as a distressed child.
This small town is full of bad people. Fucked up people. Murderers more specifically. But somehow, the story works. It’s innovative, the motive is good, the ending is good and the acting is good. The story is strange, but there’s a message there and we like it. The ending really sticks with you. Slight warning: it’s a little slow to get up off the ground, but keep with it. You will be pleasantly surprised.
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
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