Set in the gloomy suburbs of Cork – the sky permanently loaded with the grey clouds, and the streets dotted with lifeless social housing and ugly concrete structures -, Christy starts out with a promise of misery. In reality, Brendan Canty’s debut feature – a continuation of the 2019 short by the same title – is a tragic film with a lingering sense of hope and optimism. A piece of social realism – complete with the struggles of the working class and the marginalised – devoid of the stinging criticism of the state and the inescapable misfortunes commonly associated with the genre.
Seventeen-year-old Christy (played to perfection by a quietly assertive Danny Power, reprising the role of the film from six years earlier) returns to his native Cork more than a decade after his mother died of a drug overdose. After living with multiple foster families and institutions for most of his life, he decided to seek shelter with his older, hard-working, pragmatic and good-looking half-brother Shane (Diarmaid Noyes), who is stably married to a beautiful woman of his age and with a newborn baby at home. His sibling is kind, at times vaguely affective towards our protagonist. Yet he’s unprepared to share his family house with a brother he barely knows. He offers Christy an abode for nor more than a few weeks, leaving him to fend for himself once he turns 18.
Christy also seeks other relatives, including his hostile cousin Troy. His aunt barely recognises her nephew, giving him an embarrassing half-hug. Vague memories of his early childhood gently blend with images of the present, in a movie that relies on effective storytelling and simple edit devices in order to establish a narrative arc. A violent confrontation demonstrates that Christy has a powerful and precise grip. But he isn’t interested in fighting. Instead, he wishes to use his abilities for “bazzers” (Cork slang for haircuts) . An old friend of his mother offers him a job at her local barbershop, while also revealing that the late woman too was a very skilled hairdresser. Local residents become very enthusiastic for the teenager to lay his hands on them: they can’t wait to get a “Christy special”.
With a taut duration of just 94 minutes, Christy introduces a vast spectrum of authentic characters, without resorting to too many stereotypes. Christy befriends a homeless drug-addicted woman a few years his senior. His “half” sister-in-law plays a small yet essential role, helping to rekindle a sense of humanity and compassion in her husband. The short-tempered, violence-loving cousins too have a relatable facet. Nobody is entirely evil here. And there is always a spark of optimism, be that in the silly neighbourhood gossip, the overgrown and neglected meadows or the towering furniture bonfire. A wheelchair-bound boy nicknamed Robot has a very sharp tongue, and provides the most essential moments of comic relief.
Colm Hogan’s straightforward cinematography – often handheld and with little artificial lighting – provides a sombre and yet strangely charming backdrop to the credible proceedings. Close-ups reveal young faces marked with spots and furrows. Yet nothing is as irremediably dark as it seems. Every cloud – however grey and loaded with rain – has a silver lining. Unlike more traditional social realist dramas from Ireland – such as Paddy Breathnach’s Rosie (2019) and Frank Berry’s Aisha (2022) – Christy is guaranteed to make you smile.
Christy showed at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival, when this piece was originally written. Also showing at the Tallinn Black Nights. A very strong debut feature. Brendan Canty is one name to look out for. In cinemas on Friday, September 5th. On various VoD platforms on Monday, October 27th.
