Out of Here

A debut of promise, Out Of Here marks one Donal Foreman out as a real talent.

Ciarán (Walton, What Richard Did) has just returned to Dublin and wherever he’s been and whatever he’s been up to, the grey and rainy streets of Dublin are drab in comparison. His mates and his family are glad to see him home, and he’s happy to see them, but something’s not right. Something’s off. Ciarán can’t get back into the swing of things. He tries: he goes to the pub, sees his mates, flirts with a girl (Duffin), gets in contact with his ex (Rickerby), but finding his way back into the groove of regular life is just too difficult. More difficult than it should be.

After a handful of similarly-themed short films, New York-based Donal Foreman makes a startling debut – Out Of Here moves with the confidence of a third or fourth film. Where most first timers might be encouraged to let loose on the details of their protagonist to ensure his likeability, Foreman keeps his cards close to his chest with regards his hero (and takes huge steps to avoid painting Ciarán as the annoying returning traveler who starts every question with ‘When I was in...’).

It’s an hour in before we really find out what’s really going on with him: in an unfettered stream of consciousness reminiscent of Lucky’s outburst in Waiting For Godot, Ciarán, standing before a group of drunken art students, finally spills the beans on where he was, what happened, why he came back, and why he just can’t settle back in. He finally slumps, spent: "I’m sick of walking around this place and being reminded of shit that is over."

It’s this line that can cause Out Of Here to be interpreted as a post-recession diatribe but Foreman isn’t out to rant here (if he is, this has to be the most gentle, relaxed tirade in some time), he’s just out to show what it’s like to be young, educated and aimless in Ireland today. There’s no pointed, accusing finger. This it-is-what-it-is attitude is personified in Ciaran’s unsure, depressed, erratic and unpredictable friend, Ronan (a kooky Dean Kavanagh), who lives at home and spends his days cycling around.

While this is Foreman’s film it wouldn’t be what it is without the restrained and mature turn from Fionn Walton.