Róise & Frank

PG
Dir: Rachael Moriarty, Peter Murphy, Ireland, 2022, 90 min
Bríd Ní Neachtain, Cillian O’Gairbhi, Lorcan Cranitch
In Irish Gaelic with English subtitles

“Rachel Moriarty and Peter Murphy, working in the Irish language, have here managed to slip a pondering of the grieving process in with the most delightfully airy comedy… Bríd Ní Neachtain is resigned and unwavering as Róise, a middle-aged woman reeling from the death of her husband, Frank, when she encounters a shaggy dog whose personality seems eerily familiar. Could it be the aul’ fella in mutt form? The film-makers build a busy community around their central character… Lorcan Cranitch has fun with the neighbour who, his eyes set on Róise, would happily see the poor dog sent to the pound. Cillian O’Gairbhi is properly funny as the protagonist’s often-exasperated adult son. Ruadhán de Faoite offers a strong juvenile performance as a young hurler who gains confidence when the apparent canine version of Frank arrives on the scene… Yes, the film toys with whimsy, but it is always at home to emotional honesty. There are worthwhile arguments being made about the difficulty of remaining connected to the bereaved when the wider family has moved on… Shot in Waterford, Róise & Frank profits from Peter Robertson’s crisp cinematography… Part of a still-developing renaissance in Irish-language film-making, the picture really does justify the most dreaded phrase in cinema promotion. It is ‘fun for all the family’. Don’t let that truth put you off.” 

—Donald Clarke, The Irish Times