Mister John (2013)

After discovering his wife's infidelities, Gerry leaves London to look after his deceased brother's business and family in Singapore. Discovering a foreign world of opportunity that had not... See full summary »

Directors:

Joe Lawlor, Christine Molloy

Writers:

Joe Lawlor, Christine Molloy

Stars:

Aidan Gillen, Zoe Tay, Molly Rose Lawlor

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Aidan Gillen	...	Gerry Devine
Zoe Tay	...	Kim Devine
Molly Rose Lawlor	...	Sarah Devine
Michael Thomas	...	Lester
Claire Keelan	...	Kathleen Devine
Michael Walsh	...	John Devine
Ashleigh Judith White	...	Isadora Devine
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Andrew Bennett	...	Voice of John Devine
Daragh Brady	...	Mister John Pub Regular
David Byrne	...	Mister John Pub Regular
Chi Cheng Fong	...	Funeral Monk
Maya Sophie Gilmore	...	Ubin Stall Young Girl
Eddie Goh	...	KTV Niteclub Crying Man
John Gullery	...	Mister John Pub Regular
Fiona Jeremiah	...	Mister John Pub Girl

Storyline

After discovering his wife's infidelities, Gerry leaves London to look after his deceased brother's business and family in Singapore. Discovering a foreign world of opportunity that had not existed before gives Gerry a chance at starting over by slipping into his brother's life - both emotionally and physically. However, leaving his wife and child behind in the UK is not so easy as Gerry must choose between becoming his brother's alter ego 'Mister John' or returning to London to face his failing relationship.

---

Plot Keywords:

singapore | portrait | punched in the face | boat | island | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

Zoe Tay first English speaking role

---

Quotes

Gerry Devine: [visiting his brother in a morgue] Hey John... it's me

User Reviews

Could have been much more

This film has an interesting theme and the potential to be much more than what it is. The central character arrives in Singapore after his brother's death there and, over the indeterminate ensuing period, dreamily drifts into his dead brother's ex-pat life - staying with his family and floating around the seedy bar he ran - while having nightmares/flashbacks about his problematic marriage back home. So, the breakdown of a marriage on the one hand and bereavement on the other. Rich ground for exploring human feelings, yet I didn't really get a sense of his (or affected others') pain or any soul-searching to make sense of his situation. A good drama seldom neatly resolves all the key 'dramas', centring instead on the human condition and the nature of relationships. This film attempts to do that, but the lack of character development makes it difficult to identify with the protagonists and to be moved by or care much about their plight. The actors make a decent fist of a narrative that sometimes wants for coherence (not all scenes/subplots seem relevant or in some cases are underdeveloped) and the largely insipid dialogue, which, with few exceptions, reveals little about the characters and their motives and needs some attention to lend them greater depth. The overall effect is of a potentially relevant piece of work made somewhat prematurely, before the authors had really decided what story it was they wanted to tell or how best to tell it. Despite the score, I'd be tempted to give it a second chance some time to see if I was just being unreceptive. OK, 3 years later, 2nd viewing accomplished. Enjoyed it more. 3/10? It's better than that. Characters seemed more life-like; some good dialogue; quite atmospheric; may linger.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

Ireland Singapore UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 September 2013 (Ireland)

Filming Locations:

Singapore

Company Credits

Production Co:

Visit Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1