WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
What is it about the dynamic sway of life’s path? We are born, we make every effort to exist to the fullest means we can muster, and then to dust we return. It is a cycle that is filled with both fulfillment and challenge, innocense and hardship, vibrancy and fatigue, knowledge and questioning, all wrapped up in the experience beginning from arrival to childhood, to adulthood, and to old age. What are those moments, a kaleidoscope of memories, that manifest from the journey, causing us to reflect upon everything that has brought the ability to make the choices, take the steps, make the mistakes, and discover the reality of who we are, what we can achieve, and what we will leave behind to remind the world in some way, whether monumental or miniscule–I AM, I WAS, HERE. Then, now, and forever.
Next, my Mind:
Experimental cinema, with all its highly unique eccentricities, unconventional approaches, intelligent execution, and challenging of the mainstream mindset, shines forth with, admittedly, esoteric brilliance and artistically engaging visual presentation via this newest indie feature film effort from Irish writer/director/producer/editor/cinematographer Colin Hickey and producer Monica Lucia Navarro, a completely non-verbal, beautifully profound yet purposefully enigmatic journey that illustrates the paths we tread between the innocuousness of childhood and the more tumultuous realm of adulthood. Having had seen and reviewed Hickey’s previous effort, an equally adept project “The Evening Redness In The South” screened as part of the 2020 Berlin Revolution Film Festival, Hickey picks right up where he left off in portraying the intricacies of human existence and placing it into the context of imagery and musical underscoring only, dialogue-free, allowing the viewer to be immersed in what their awareness interprets and comprehends.
Utilizing a deftly layered combination of said elements, the story we are entreated to consume ultimately unfolds in two parts and revolved around two sets of “narratives” that subtly and blatantly convey concepts centered on what it is to experience the joys of freedom and learning about everything around us as a child while then “fast-forwarding” us into the often more melancholy questioning atmosphere of being grown-up, complete with the actualities of laboring and being in a constant state of both contentment and querying about what the future might hold. All of this is also brought about amongst the uncertainties of what directions and circumstances can end up guiding us through this adventure that is life. Each individual we witness, whether young or older, plays a key role in delivering the film’s core messages that span the relentlessness of time’s passage, joys and pains, and the wealth of experiences that prepare us from the beginning to face what comes as we gain more and more knowledge and fortitude.
As mentioned above, the real magic and magnificent effectiveness of this cinematic gem belongs to what our eyes and ears are afforded in order to follow the non-linear nature of the effort. For this critic, it was nothing short of fantastical in its simplicity, yet quietly potent in the earnest and acute impact on the senses it all has thanks to the myriad of distinctively emblematic aesthetics used, filmed in County Cork, Ireland. From landscapes to seascapes, city streets to countryside vistas, shorelines to skylines, structures fresh and dilapidated, random wildlife, forests and freeways, fence lines barbed and benign, the people we are following whether toiling or playing, and still more beyond all of this, each and every component fully represents thematic portraits of aging, encounters that shape us, the ways we seek escape, the means we use to survive, and the primary focus on it being all seen through reminiscence, powerful memories that show how we are framed in moments, choose to take flight, stay within the lines or venture outside them, or find other factors that dictate our growth.
Additionally, ideas around restoration and rejuvenation find themselves resurfacing throughout the film, while also emphasizing the notion of legacy and that which we desire to leave behind, again in both the mood and climate of both childhood and adulthood–though perhaps there is a longing and leaning we strive for most–youth and the deeds it offered us. As stated, the undeniable, indelible strength of recognition, observance, and remembrance is on full display and is really the core of all that we see. Then, we have the absolutely perfect music to accompany such a venture, as provided by composer Pipe Gaitan, that acts as its own character, bringing about an atmospheric dynamic to the proceedings with tangible force, capturing chaos and calm, splendor and solitude, frolic and focus, respite and restlessness, playfulness and pensiveness, work and wonder, encapsulated and paralleling the visuals with total precision and emotive, stirring resonance.
The primary players here–Diana Tregnago, Clara Rose Hickey, Colin Hickey, Finn O’Donovan, Thomas Hickey, Cait O’Driscoll, Lucy Marten, and Saoirse McDonagh–along with the additional supporting cast that includes John Hegarty, Liam Hegarty, Liam Cotter, Ava McDonagh, Luka Pitton Brady, Shane Hallihane, Frank Lechtanska, and Joshua Connolly all find themselves relying solely on body language, facial expression, and other forms of action minus speaking any words to bring out the fluctuating ambiance and for me, it is a real testament TO the often overlooked art of acting when it comes to simply playing it straight and wholly natural, which is precisely what this film and it’s intent require. So, I applaud this cast for making their mark on this effort in the manner of performances they do, often subtle as much of it is, for it all speaks to the soul of the stories shown and the wellspring of this life’s beauty and trials in a way that should cause us to pause and ponder ourselves, taking stock of the importance of recollection, and the merit of persevering through it all with poise.
So, in total, “Where The Merrows Roam” is a film that beckons us to expand our thinking, perspectives, considerations, and truths about this amazing world and pilgrimage we’re on, wrapping it all in a wonderfully gorgeous visual and aural realm that, yes, dares one to find new levels of viewing parameters that travel afar from standard cinematic fare, but does so in order to embrace a more meaningful, influential, and introspective look at the moment we can arrive at when we realize we FINALLY discover an inward liberation longed for–acknowledging the warmth and marvel of just BEING.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
