WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW
First, the Recap:
The simplicity of existence. How much do we tend to turn our “everyday” into a mass of tedious endeavors rather than just being willing to ease back and allow the beauty of what we have sustain us and bring us joy? And when we choose to do this, how does it impact those around us? In the sleepy berg of Ballycarraig nestled in County Kildare, Ireland there resides a man named Charlie (Peter Lynch) who treasures his daily time at a preferred hangout–Gorman’s Pub. There he mixes and mingles with owner Ossie (Brian Beirne), Ossie’s girlfriend Rose (Katie Santacroce), Gerry (Paul Pender), Mick (Aaron McNicholl), Matty (Jon Leone), and Johnny (Shaun Donnelly), all of whom have their own tales of hope, joy, lament, and dreams to share. But, how much of an influence has old Charlie really had on them all, and will they find out later than sooner?
Next, my Mind:
It’s an eclectic, unconventional, candidly unfiltered, yet waggish and fully entertaining slice of life perspective that we’re entreated to via this beautifully uncomplicated 86-minute indie feature film from writer/director/co-producer Paul Pender, co-director Katie Santacroce, producer Adrian Nieves, and executive producers Joseph Geremia and Daniel Lundy that strives to maintain its character-driven focus in a manner that’s wholly relatable, accomplishing this with poise and a whole lot of basic fun and humanity intertwining to form its core. It’s the continuous testament to why independent cinema remains in the forefront of this critic’s mind, as it doesn’t require fancy sets, special effects, or even the need to think deeply to possess the necessary payoff and compelling, applicable, and affecting lessons the film ultimately delivers.
Finding itself as a Best of Fest contender in the category of “Best Comedy Feature” at the Crown Point International Film Festival, the narrative presented finds us feeling almost, to a certain extent, playfully voyeuristic in that “fly on a wall” way while taking in a tale of one older man’s plights, pondering, and endearingly unique politeness as he interacts with the motley crew of locals that form the “regulars” at a pub in a rural Irish town and who also have more than their fair share of–colorful–opinions and mindsets about life while having NO issue at all ragging on each other. It is this particular facet of the film that consistently provides the very raw but so realistic air to the story as a whole, for it’s precisely how we so often picture a group of lifelong friends gathering at a bar to schmooze, vent, laugh, unwind, and just be REAL with one another.
However, don’t let the fact that even though the grander, dominating tone here IS comedic, there are underlying and surprisingly profound currents of emotionally dramatic tangents interwoven into the narrative that manifest over the course of the runtime, and they carry thematic depth that addresses notions of domestic/sibling unrest and abuse along with how much we don’t always value the relationships we’ve got until it might end up too late TO realize their power and sway on us. But, then there is likewise the recognition of true friendships and comraderie, the wholehearted honoring of this, and the potency of memory in the aftermath of loss combined with facing what life might have for us next and making those choices to push ahead. In a sense, this could be construed as a cleverly idiosyncratic coming of age story, but seen through the eyes of a people who’ve both experienced a long life already as well as those reaching that mid-point and confronting the realities of where they’re at, whether for humor or in earnest.
The effort’s poignant finale and the events the lead into it plus the subsequent ripple effects they cause deftly suit the story extremely well, once more giving things that highly impactful human factor, and I won’t go into more detail than that as I never wish to remotely venture into spoiler territory, even when the project’s title does somewhat indicate a particular path. Lynch is a total gem here through his role as the film’s title character Charlie Gorman, a man of advancing years whose completely unimpeachable outlook on life, the desire to just BE, and make the most of a daily chance to associate with, react to, and find a peace that he secretly longs for more than any of his comrades even fathom or are aware of due the sometimes suspected but not initially substantiated circumstances he’s encountering. It’s Lynch’s winningly engaging affability, wry humor, and understated delivery that marvelously carries the character through all the social intricacies, blatant or subtle, that Charlie goes through and represents. It’s a totally apropos performance.
Beirne exudes the friendly “everyman” nature an ideal bar owner should possess to strike up all manner of conversations or be that listening ear (and possibly a voice of reason!) through his performance as Ossie, Gorman’s Pub “master of ceremonies” who’s more than ready to provide the libations his regulars desire to sip or chug while always maintaining a calm, happy, playfully chiding (when needed) demeanor that can captivate his audience but also has plans of his own being contemplated. Santacroce uses her undeniable, enchanting charm but also a “don’t think I am a damsel in distress type” attitude in tandem through her role as Rose, Ossie’s girlfriend who tends the bar, can more than hold her own with the guys, and is also often having to act as Ossie’s conscious in both joyful and tense times like any solid relationship goes. Pender makes his presence known effectively and with quiet bravado through his turn as Gerry, the local handyman whom everyone relies on and who has a word of wisdom to share and poke fun with at another’s expense, all in good fun.
McNicholl shines in his appearances as Mick, a man who’s quite the rabble-rouser and playboy (in his own mind, anyway!) who finds himself in a particular predicament that has the joking of his bar mates solidly aimed in his direction, and it’s a total hoot watching McNicholl comically navigate the character through his troubled soul’s dilemma. Leone is Matty, the owner of an Italian shop next door to Gorman’s Pub who always finds a means to get OUT of his establishment to spend time with the boys and offer his witty and at times eccentric perspectives. Rounding out the lead ensemble cast’s ranks is Donnelly as Johnny, another local who, like Charlie, seems to simply relish the time to drink and exchange wisecracks and quips along the way, again often at each other’s expense. The primary supporting appearance is made by Karl Ryan as Mikey, Charlie’s out-of-work, FAR-less-than-amicable brother who may be the key source to why Charlie spends the inordinate amount of time at the pub as opposed to at home.
Additional appearances arrive from Theresa Remeika, Paul Tynan, Charles Starrs, Marian Cronin, Maureen Pender, Geoffrey Herpok, Kevin Connolly, Margaret Starrs, Kerry Powers, Laura Nevard, Valerie Norris, Packy Lills, Pat Whelan, Jane Rosenberg, and Sarah Finnegan. So, in total, “Charlie Gorman’s Wake” is a bold, uncontrived, fully forthright, ultimately whimsical exploration of the importance of cultivating, preserving, and valuing connections with other people, as it forms the basis for more well-rounded existence, gaining of knowledge, a release from the world’s worries, other viewpoints to cerebrate on, and to have the realization of just how much we MISS those relationships when they are taken away. It’s a lesson in how the bonds of being fellow humans SHOULD be experienced, and perhaps this world needs to take it more to heart.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
