Eamon

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The first of three Irish films borne of the ambitious Catalyst Project - first time filmmakers making a movie under €250,000 - Eamon, a subtle, unhurried drama that explores Irish motherhood and the slow death of the family unit, is the first to hit the screens.

Grace (Kirwan) is a young mother struggling with a hyperactive 6-year-old boy in Eamon (Donnelly) and maintaining a relationship with his father, Daniel (Healy). In an attempt to bond as a family, the three take off for the coast on a budget holiday but inherent problems doom the break before it begins. Eamon insists on sleeping in the same bed as his mother, maddening the increasingly horny Daniel further, while Grace cuts a frustrated figure - a pretty woman tied down in a loveless relationship, she seeks the attention of the hunk on the beach. As Eamon becomes ever more emotionally sidelined by his selfish parents, he looks to secure attention by other means...

Written and directed by Margaret Corkery, Eamon can be accused of being lifeless, that not much happens in its short running time, but the flipside to that argument is that it's a patient slow-burner; throughout, first-timer Corkery remains confident that its unexpected climax will be worth sticking around for. However, that slow pace becomes monotonous after a time, deadening the impact of the finale. The characters have little to say to each other and what they do say is of little interest. Not that a movie has to be awash with clever dialogue but there has to be something to patch over the quieter moments.

Unlikeable characters they may be, but Corkery makes them believable and the director drags strong turns from all involved. Young Robert Donnelly is strong as the titular character while Kirwan, despite the movie being called Eamon, is really the central character and she holds the story together. It's Healy, however, that is the standout. Hampered by the least-fleshed out role of the three, he plays Daniel like an almost-mute child and is determined to have fun with him.

The Catalyst Project's aims were to help a first time filmmaker make a film with a tight budget and they have succeeded. But will it encourage movie lovers to fork over a tenner for it is another matter.