The Sapphires: a glimpse of Australia’s Stolen Generations

The Sapphires (2012). Directed by Wayne Blair, written by Keith Thompson and Tony Briggs, based on the 2004 stage play of the same name. The Sapphires is a 2012 musical comedy-drama that tells the story of an Aboriginal all-girl group in 1960’s New South Wales. Growing up on a reserve in Western Australia, sisters Gail,...

The Marvellous Ms. Loden: from blonde bombshell to ground-breaking independent filmmaker

"I don't want to get into the system as it exists. I want to create my own corner. It all comes down to this, if you don't want to be a part of what exists, you've got to create your own reason for existence." (Barbara Loden, quoted in You Must Remember This) Barbara Loden was...

A look at youth culture in Irish film and television: 2003-2017

In 2016-17, I completed an MA in English, specialising in Irish Writing and Film, at University College Cork. As part of the course, everyone in my class was required to set up and regularly update a blog. The idea of the blog initially filled my classmates and me with dread, as blogging was completely uncharted territory for...

Dark summer: trauma and grief in Ari Aster’s Midsommar

In this article, I will look at how Ari Aster’s 2019 folk-horror film Midsommar explores the effects of repressed grief and trauma. I went to see the film in July and found it to be one of the most intriguing and deeply disturbing films that I have ever seen. First of all, I would strongly encourage anyone...

Picnic at Hanging Rock: “Purity and refinement, the Appleyard promise.” Part One, clothing and identity

In the late summer of 2018, RTÉ 2 aired the Australian set period drama Picnic at Hanging Rock. An adaptation of Joan Lindsay’s 1967 novel of the same name, the six-part series tells the story of the disappearance of three schoolgirls and their teacher in 1900 Australia. This is the second major screen adaptation of...

Picnic at Hanging Rock: “The arse end of the world.” Colonialism and escape in the Australian wilderness

In the late summer of 2018, RTÉ 2 aired the Australian set period drama Picnic at Hanging Rock. An adaptation of Joan Lindsay’s 1967 novel of the same name, the six-part series tells the story of the disappearance of three schoolgirls and their teacher in 1900 Australia. This is the second major screen adaptation of...

Funny Girls: A look at female-centric Irish television comedies

In celebration of the release of season one of Stefanie Preissner's comedy-drama, Can't Cope, Won't Cope on Netflix, I'm taking a look at some of the best recent Irish television comedies. I want to pay particular attention to comedies that have female writers and shows where female characters play a substantial role. Derry Girls: Lisa...

‘Living, in our own terrible way.’* The disorientation of Ireland’s youth culture in contemporary film and television

Through a series of blog posts, I will explore how contemporary Irish film and television portray the difficulties faced by young Irish men and women. The last few years have seen a string of Irish films and TV series that portray a darker side of Irish life with issues like depression, alcohol and drug abuse, alienation,...