Barry Keoghan’s Irish thriller Bring Them Down is brutal and relentless
As a connoisseur of Irish rural dramas, steeped in the rich tapestry of masculine conflicts and generational trauma, I found myself utterly captivated by “Bring Them Down“. This film, under the masterful direction of Christopher Andrews, is not just about sheep or wolves; it’s about the internal struggles of men grappling with the chains forged by their fathers.
In the rural Irish drama titled “Bring Them Down“, male competition takes center stage, as neighboring farmers find themselves confronted with the question of whether they’re more akin to sheep, who follow the herd, or wolves, who assert their dominance.
Featuring Barry Keoghan alongside Christopher Abbott in “Poor Things”, this film establishes a relentless tempo right off the bat, with a harsh introduction setting the stage for disclosures about familial turmoil and long-standing resentments that span decades.
In simpler terms, Christopher Andrews’ first directorial film isn’t merely about a power struggle over a secluded region in Ireland, but primarily explores the internal conflicts of men entangled in the repetitive cycles of violence and outdated notions of masculinity, which they inherited from their fathers.
20 years following an unfortunate car accident that took his mother’s life, Michael (Abbott) currently resides with his stern father Ray (Colm Meaney), while faithfully managing their valued sheep farm.
In the aftermath of the accident, Michael’s former partner, Nora-Jane Noone, has tied the knot with their neighbor, Gary (played by Paul Ready). Together, they have raised a teenager named Keoghan.
When Gary tells Michael that he discovered two of his sheep dead on his property, old resentments and emotional scars between the families resurface. Misleading information, mistaken beliefs, hidden machinations, and outbursts of unreasonable anger escalate the situation, making the narrative a series of tragic miscommunications.
Similar to Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s 2022 award-winning thriller “The Beasts”, the movie delves into how the sentiment fostered by traditionalist masculinity (stand up for what’s yours, suppress emotions, react to every provocation, act first, etc) possesses a destructive power that can corrupt anything it influences.
When Michael’s resilience breaks, often triggered by his father’s anger, his behavior becomes alarmingly extreme. In such situations, retaliation follows retaliation, he cannot tolerate vulnerability, and mercy is something he doesn’t consider.
During this period, it is often women who endure the harsh consequences of this unyielding hostility. They struggle tirelessly to escape from this oppressive situation intact. However, as depicted in the film, they don’t always manage to do so.
In an impressive manner, Andrews skillfully escalates suspense, complemented by a persistent and ominous rhythmic score akin to battle drums.
Abbot and Keoghan skillfully portray the enigmatic yet potentially threatening persona in this film, making their every awkward, tense gaze all the more impactful. What’s intriguing is that as the story unfolds, their characters are gradually revealed to have hidden depths: they find themselves reluctant inheritors of a rage that was never theirs to beg for.
The tale skillfully and cleverly infuses details without resorting to excessive explanation. It delves deeper into issues affecting more than just the characters’ disputes (such as the community’s economic difficulties, farmland being converted into vacation homes, and the Irish language losing ground as modernity encroaches upon tradition), creating a richer and more captivating narrative.
A viewer’s trust may falter as the perspective in the movie switches between characters, leading to redundancies that seem unnecessary and fail to enhance the plot. Additionally, excessive depictions of animal cruelty, lacking any clear purpose, can be challenging for viewers to endure.
Despite occasional weaknesses in its narrative development, the story powerfully explores complex themes like inherited pain, harmful masculine norms, and the struggle between old traditions versus contemporary values, albeit not always with nuanced detail or finesse.
As events unfold and the movie reaches its thrilling conclusion, the film “Bring Them Down” regains its footing to deliver a surprising lesson: the value of compassion over retribution.
Bring Them Down has yet to confirm a release date in the UK.
Read More
- TOMI PREDICTION. TOMI cryptocurrency
- LOGX PREDICTION. LOGX cryptocurrency
- SPX PREDICTION. SPX cryptocurrency
- EUR UAH PREDICTION
- NEXA PREDICTION. NEXA cryptocurrency
- RTM PREDICTION. RTM cryptocurrency
- STEP PREDICTION. STEP cryptocurrency
- Why Katherine Renee Kane’s FBI departure is premature
- Lt. Erica Ortegas is what Star Trek: The Original Series needed
- JPY KRW PREDICTION
2024-10-15 14:18