Kathleen (Hazel Doupe) is a wayward 18-year-old from Ireland, who just left foster care behind. She promises her care worker that she will behave. The teenager is lucky to have her job after all. Following a drunken night spent out with a pal, Kathleen unwittingly falls on Dee (Clare Dunne), a lady who seemingly has it all sorted out. They become friends, spending time in nail salons, but the longer they have together, the greater Kathleen relies on her newfound “mother”.
The titular hero, bereaved of a maternal figure, sees something of herself in Dee, a woman who lost a daughter. Aching to fill in the void, Kathleen decides to arrange a surprise celebration for her pal; it is a birthday after all. Suddenly, Kathleen’s plans are interrupted by Rory (Peter Coonan), Dee’s husband. “Tonight was supposed to be about family,” he sneers, shutting the door behind him. Convinced that she needs to get rid of him, Kathleen sets up a plan: her glamorous friend will seduce Rory, leaving Dee open and available to adventure as a carefree comrade.
Kathleen Is Here has a lot going for it, not least a committed and concentrated performance from Doupe. She echoes Bob Hoskins’ performance during the closing moments of The Long Good Friday (John Mackenzie, 1980) at one point: wolfish eyes staring forwards, a mixture of sadness and acceptance. This Kathleen is an adolescent tormented by a series of unsatisfying foster homes; a traveller aching for an Odyssey. Her rendition is matched by Coonan, who brings a menacing charm to the role of jealous husband. The two lock heads in a dense, claustrophobic side-shop: threats uttered implicitly and explicitly.
What’s evident is that Kathleen, although devious, is fundamentally a good person. She saves a small boy from the wheels driven by a careless man; provides Dee with a shoulder to cry on when she recalls the scent her late child left behind; and is well-liked by the colleagues who spend their days discussing Kim Kardashian. Nevertheless, there’s a palpable danger to this singular protagonist, one that concerns and occasionally repulses Rory.
Director Eva Birthistle penned the this well-written and realised story. Every woman has an arc, a backstory and a purpose. Most of the men, such as the care worker, are less fortunate: standing as clichés of a rough, rural Ireland. A little passé for 2024. Luckily, Rory proves to be the exception to the rule, dominating the proceedings with a malleability that’s almost Shakespearian in resolve. Rory’s pitiable, but not pathetic; rugged, but never brusque. Behind every barbed word comes the tone of a parent who genuinely loves his son. Coonan is brilliant, skirting the line with villainy, grounding his persona with enough grit to make him watchable; affectionate even.
Kathleen Is Here hints at a sexual undertone between the two central women, but wisely Birthistle never fully commits to the idea. The director is more concerned with the mother-daughter sub-plot: kindred spirits separated by age and providence. All it takes is a “pizza offering” for the two to engage in conversation, culminating in the pair beneath a blanket. They share the grief; enjoy the love.
Kathleen’s fantasies spiral out of control, likening Dee to the parent she never truly had. “Let’s go away somewhere,” she says; “just you and me.” Invariably, reality kicks in and Kathleen has to contend with the consequences of her decisions. At 95 minutes, Kathleen Is Here breezes along until landing at the jaw-dropping climax: a dazzling combination of land, air and sea.
Kathleen is Here premiered during the 32nd edition of Raindance. In UK cinemas on Friday, October 18th. On selected VoD platforms (including BFI Player) on Monday, February 10th.
