Features review - DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN by Patrick Ryan

Newcomer Patrick Ryan forces Irish cinema out of its comfort zone by filming a modern western in Kerry - with female central characters - with his debut feature Darkness on the Edge of Town, shown at the 59th edition of the Cork Film Festival.
 
Let's be honest; Ireland doesn't have a great history of genre films. But in comes filmmaker Patrick Ryan, who with a microscopic budget of 18,000 euro overtaken by plenty of confidence and ambition with a charismatic vision that not only has the potential of turning this side of Irish cinema upside down, but also puts other modern westerns shot in any other part of the world with a much bigger budget to shame. Darkness on the Edge of Town is the story of teenage sharpshooter named Cleo (Emma Eliza Regan), who strives to avenge the death of her estranged elder sister, found dead on the floor of a public bathroom. Thus, she sets off trying to find the murderer. But we know from the start who the murderer is, and it is her loyal, faithful, best and only friend Robin (Emma Willis).

 

This initial twist on the story, the fact that we the viewers know who the murderer is, infuses the storyline with noir elements that deepen the psychological depth of the story. The focus hence becomes the motive, and is able to engage the audience on a more interactive level that is far from being the usual more deductive process of fitting the pieces of the puzzle in a conventional whodunnit fashion. Pacing, in this sense, was extremely important - and that is why it is equally important to point out that Ryan allows us to almost casually drift into the film and be drawn into its sinister atmosphere by avoiding spoken dialogue in the initial ten minutes of the film, a Sergio Leone move that is quite frankly not used enough in films of this kind and that from the start sets in a tone of dignity that is often hard to come across.

The other bold move, in conventional cinematic terms, is that the two leading characters in this film are female characters. Yes, people, we still live in a world where this factor alone might seem shocking and daring enough to think that this key narrative element does not lead to a softening up of the film at all, that remains quite dark throughout. In fact, Emma Eliza Regan's Cleo is as quiet and dangerous as the man with no name in Leone's dollar trilogy, while the more naive, loyal but self-destructive Emma Willis' Robin is more like the lovable, gullible but deadly Tuco. Furthermore, the two leading actresses in the film deliver restrained performances that thankfully never go over the top, remain balanced and hence strengthen the film's mystique. Their closeness, strong bond and great friendship is an alarming ticking timebomb, which as it develops, cleverly leads to manipulation, lies and a riveting final shootout (a must in a western, right?). Still, their imperfections and vulnerabilities are the product of a troubled past that Darkness on the Edge of Town often refers to.
 
Sure, the vision is not a vision of realism, and much more inspired by classicist and Shakespearean vibes, made all the more exciting by the visuals and a striking contrast of clodly lit sequences with more stable tripod still shots that recall Kurusawa and even, inevitably, Kubrick - particularly in the latter's use of vividly coloured palettes in such films as A Clockwork Orange. Even the music contributes to the post-modernist vibes, recalling the famous theme from David Lynch's Twin Peaks. In other words, Darkness on the Edge of Town is a film full of enthusuiasm and bravado, minus the frantic pace of the usual other such films. Chances are, repeated viewings may uncover even more surprises. It is, however, certain that Patrick Ryan is a bright young visionary and that only marketing (the area where Irish cinema usually dies) can prevent this film from great success and from being discovered by a larger audience.