Irish films to watch on Netflix

Handsome Devil, Micheal Inside, Calm With Horses, Extra Ordinary

THERE ARE some great Irish films on Netflix which are well worth watching, but they do not always pop up on the services home page that often.

Handsome Devil: Set in an expensive Dublin boarding school, the film follows Ned, who is not interested in rugby and is struggling with his sexual identity. He befriends a new student who is a confident jock and is going through similar struggles. This is a fun coming of age drama, but maybe lacks a bit of bite. I think of Netflix’s excellent Sex Education, how punchy that show is, and Handsome Devil could have been a bit more ambitious with some of the more adult themes. That said, it is very funny and features a great lead performance from Fionn O’Shea who was excellent as the abusive boyfriend in Normal People.

Micheal Inside: I do enjoy are prison films, and this is one of the better ones. Micheal is a young Dubliner who gets a short sentence for holding drugs. Already inside is his father, leaving his grandfather outside dealing with losing his son and grandson to the prison system. This is more of a Ken Loach style kitchen sink drama, and really powerfully acted.

Calm With Horses: I keep harping on about this movie, it was unfortunately robbed of a decent theatrical run last year when the cinemas were closed. It is a simple enough gangster movie plot but the two man performances from Barry Keoghan and Cosmo Jarvis are just spectacular. Really well directed by Nick Rowland with a car chase that is as good as any Hollywood film. Interesting fact, it was mostly shot in Galway.

Extra Ordinary: This was the hardest ticket to get at the Galway Film Fleadh two years ago. It is a really fun little horror comedy. Rose Dooley is a driving instructor who also has some small magic abilities, she hides them and lives a simple life. Really great cast lead by Meave Higgins and Will Forte, along with a heap of great talent.

 

Page generated in 0.2371 seconds.