50. Town of Strangers; movie review

 

TOWN OF STRANGERS

Cert 12A

86 mins

BBFC advice: Contains scenes of emotional upset, infrequent strong language

"Can you imagine leaving your home and probably your family and friends and arriving in a country where you don't know anyone and can't speak the language?"

I mused on this with Mrs W as we heard Hamid from Afghanistan admit: "I came from under the truck. I got off in Dublin and I asked someone 'where am I?', and they showed me to the refugee place."

He was one of the interviewees in Treasa O'Brien's Town Of Strangers, an intriguing film centred on the community of Gort which has the highest ratio of immigrants per head of population in Ireland.

Much of this is down to hundreds of Brazilians who (my reading has since revealed) were enticed to work at a former meat factory.

Meanwhile, Gort was also seen as a haven for English hippies who drifted over the Irish Sea and stayed.

They include Ralf who jokes: "I said to my girlfriend 'I'll be back in three weeks.' That was 17 years ago. Do you think she's still waiting for me? She must have boiled the kettle a thousand times." 

O'Brien is the glue of the movie and portrays herself as a stranger who has arrived in the town to hold auditions for her new film.

She is so entranced by the townsfolk's stories that she creates a documentary around them.

There are eye-opening, honest narratives mixed with the arty approach that O'Brien probably intended in the first place.

However, Town of Strangers lacks the sharp focus and background required to make it grab as tight as it might.

We wanted to learn more about the journeys of the refugees, the lifestyles of the hippies (and how they earn money) and how and why the Brazilians were lured to Gort.

This would have transformed an interesting film into a truly enlightening one.

Reasons to watch: Rare stories of immigrants into Ireland

Reasons to avoid: Lacks sharp focus

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know? According to the data from the Brazilian consulate, Brazilians made up one per cent of Ireland's population in 2020.

The final word. Treasa O'Brien: "I was astonished and honoured by the stories divulged to me. People showed me their strengths and vulnerabilities in a way that moved me."

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