You're going to be hearing a lot about Irish movies in 2014, and possibly even more in about a year's time for the next awards season. Early word from Sundance has been ecstatic for Calvary (from the director of The Guard) and Frank (from the director of What Richard Did), but these are just the tip of the iceberg.
Joining these big hitters is Stalker, a movie which has also been massively well received by critics and audiences alike around the world, as well as here at home where it won the runners-up prize at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2012, and now the rest of the country will be able to enjoy it too, as it hits cinemas on February 26th.
This is the third feature film from director Mark O'Connor, who previously brought us King Of The Travellers and Between The Canals, and it stars John Connors (King Of The Travellers), Barry Keoghan (Between The Canals) and Peter Coonan (Love/Hate). The story deals with Oliver (played by Connors), a troubled and potentially dangerous homeless man who befriends Tommy, a teenage boy, and convinces himself that he has been sent from God to help Tommy with his damaged, drug-filled family.
A dark psychological thriller, dealing with taboo subjects such as mental illness and the current state of homelessness in Ireland, the film-makers clearly want to give your brain a work-out while also trying to entertain the audience. With "entertain" also being at the fore-front of their mind, there's going to be a game released online the same day as the film hits cinemas, which (unless we're mistaken) is a first for an Irish movie.
The game goes live on https://www.stalker.ie/game, and be sure to check back in with entertainment.ie soon for our full review of the movie. Stalker hits Irish cinemas on February 26th.
