The Pier

This is a great little film with no B.S,. Just a straight from the heart piece.Honest hard hitting and moving without been manipulative. Made on a very low budget In Ireland with Lili Taylor and Karl Johnson and Gerard Hurley who also wrote and directed The Pier. The film is set in rural contemporary Ireland and avoids the clichés and the regular hipness that indie's portray. Again this film is just honest and perhaps a little to sincere for an American audience, but I feel if it gets to cinema's it will win people over, despite the lack of big names. Beautiful locations and really great quality acting and soundtrack. The camera work was a little off but over all excellent work, well worth seeing. I saw this film in the Cleveland film festival and was really surprised that it did not get any awards..but then again I'm not sure what that means anymore.

Jack McCartney gets a phone call in America asking him to go home to see his dying father. They have been estranged for 20 years and had a difficult relationship before that. He returns to his home and things are still difficult between them but slowly they reconcile. Having had a difficult relationship with my Irish father and losing him just over a year ago,the film touched a nerve. Both characters are emotionally stunted with each other and have to learn to speak to each other without losing it. There are bright moments too involving 2 local kids and a horse (rosy) and a splash of romance with an American divorcée.

It's a film I think I would have enjoyed with my father who could be as grumpy as Larry Mcarty in the film.

I really enjoyed this gem of a movie. A wonderful cast,and a tender script. The pacing is perfect and so is the soundtrack. Do yourself a favour and watch it.

I watched Manchester By The Sea followed by The Pier. Although the production values weren't comparable, The Pier is a far better film. Karl Johnson is brilliant in every performance I've seen. I don't begrudge Casey Affleck his Oscar but his performance in MBTS fades into obscurity compared with Mr. Johnson's. in this funny, emotional low budget movie. It only goes to highlight the absurdity of award ceremonies when brilliant acting is rewarded with nothing. I highly recommend The Pier although I'm Welsh and the Irish accent may be too difficult to comprehend by some.

I saw this Film at he IFI in Dublin last Sunday, it was an accident that I wound up seeing it, but I'm so glad that I did. I was a little concerned initially because I heard in the lobby it was a low budget and an "indie" film and that can just be an excuse for bad work these days. However I was really blown away by this film I got drawn in straight away by the incredibly strong performances by Gerard Hurley and Karl Johnson and the beauty of the landscape.

About half way through the story could hear a lot of sniffing around the cinema because the film really begins to hit people because it is very moving without been manipulative . By the end of the film I was gutted my self by the sincerity of the ending. The soundtrack was great and L the film Lili Taylor who I like a lot was great also , I just wish she was in it a little more.

A really beautiful film, if you have a chance go see it.