Ross White and Tom Berkeley grab the proverbial Irish country bull by the horns with the spirited and often funny short film AN IRISH GOODBYE, in which two feuding brothers are brought back by family tragedy. 

Film And TV Now spoke with the film-making team about the short. 

The spirit of classic Irish comedy is ingrained in this short. What was the start-off point for the script? 

TOM: It’s often hard to recall the initial catalyst that sparks an idea into life, but I do remember having been at the football (soccer) with my dad where I saw two brothers – much like the pair you’ll see in our film- sat a few rows ahead of me, arguing ferociously with each other over the game.  

These were big, strapping lads – salt of the earth – and they spent the entire match hurling abuse at each other. The younger brother had Down syndrome and I found the duty of care that was present in their otherwise fiery relationship really compelling.  

The match ended 0-0 and was by no means a classic, but I spent most of it watching these fellas go through just about every human emotion together over the course of 90 minutes. The next day I told Ross about these two brilliant characters and we immediately knew we wanted to write something based around that relationship.  

The story went through various incarnations, but finally settled as a tale of embittered, estranged brothers who, in their attempt to find a fitting farewell for their late mother, somehow find each other again. 

The comedic tone is reminiscent of the likes of THE QUIET MAN and IN BRUGES. Where do you feel the strength of Irish comedy is presently? 

ROSS: There is something innately Irish about laughing in the face of adversity.  

I think it’s this kind of gallows humour that feels so human. I come from Belfast in Northern Ireland, a place with its own well documented history of hard times and trouble. But in spite of this jaded past, the people here have this wicked sense of humour. It’s very wry, very dry and it often comes when you least expect it. 

That’s definitely how Tom and I approached the comedy in An Irish Goodbye – which is to all extents and purposes, a tragicomedy about grief. We find that when we operate  in the no man’s land between comedy and tragedy, we are able to access something truthful and exciting. 

Tell us about your cast. 

ROSS: The script for An Irish Goodbye was actually the first that Tom and I had written together for screen, but we ended up shelving the project to work on other things.  

That all changed when we came across local actor James Martin in the BBC comedy ‘Ups and Downs’. I was aware of James for his advocacy for learning disability charity Mencap and his much- adored appearances on a local radio show, but I hadn’t realised that he was an actor until I saw the show. His charisma and charm just jumped out at us and we knew we had to build the film around him. 

Seamus O’Hara who plays Turlough is one of the most exciting Irish actors coming through right now – we really lucked out and managed to catch him at a good time. Since our film, he’s had roles in The NorthmanMandrake, and Netflix’s upcoming season of Shadow and Bone. He’s a director’s dream – easy-going yet heavily invested in the work, and most importantly, able to create a spark of magic out of thin air. 

And then we were absolutely blessed to have a supporting cast made up of two titans of the Irish scene – the hilarious Paddy Jenkins as our oddball priest Father O’Shea and the iconic Michelle Fairley bringing a gravitas to the voice of Grainne, our two lead characters’ belated mother. 

Tell us about your production team. 

TOM: We gathered a small but mighty crew from all over Ireland to tell this story. Despite shooting amidst the many challenges of Covid, everyone gave their all to elevate the story and help Ross and I achieve the vision we had for the film. 

Our cinematographer Narayan Van Maele really bought into the visual language we wanted to create, especially utilising those brooding, empty landscapes to invoke that idea of rural isolation. 

Composer Anthony Eve really delivered on a tough brief – we wanted to lean into the Celtic soul of the film without relying on the typical fiddle and whistle sound. We worked really hard to discover a more folk-led, Americana sound that all the while stayed true to its Irish roots. 

And finally to the many crew for whom it was their first time on a film set. As directors, it was only our second time behind the camera, so it was really exciting to be surrounded by so many other hungry young film-makers keen to learn and to go the extra mile to make the film the best it could possibly be. 

Where did you shoot and for how long? 

ROSS: We shot on location in Rural Northern Ireland – specifically the beautiful Sperrin Mountain range outside Derry, at a farm-house in Templepatrick and on beautiful farmland in a countryside town called Saintfield. 

Our shoot was only five days long, which given the ambition and scope of our script, was a tight turnaround. We worked closely with our First AD Graham Kinnigburgh to make sure we didn’t waste a second! 

As co-directors, how did you dovetail your creativity on this film? 

TOM: Ross and I met way back when we were studying in college – we quickly hit it off and found that we shared a sensibility when it came to making work.  

Initially, our collaborations began in theatre. We wrote stage plays individually and gave each other feedback on our early drafts – we then set up a touring theatre company which we ran together for four years. Having worked so closely for so long, I think we started to develop a shared brain which has definitely made its way into our film work. 

When it comes to writing, directing and producing with Ross, we are always in a constant dialogue about the vision of the film and how best to achieve it. It’s an intense experience but one we both really thrive off, and it means that right from when we first put pen to paper we’re already talking about how we might execute particular shots or cut together a particular sequence, which is exciting. 

On set, as a pair we have the advantage of being able to split up and delegate responsibility, which speeds things up. When in between takes it’s a blessing that one of us can liaise with and give notes to the cast while the other one might be chatting through something technical with the camera team. 

Who and what are your key cinematic influences? 

ROSS: Given our background, I think we’re drawn to cinema that has an innate theatricality in it. In a contemporary setting, we love the Coen Brothers, Yorgos Lanthimos and Noah Baumbach but we’re also huge fans of the old ‘Spaghetti Westerns’.        

Above all, we’re lovers of story, which is why we get drawn to these timeless, fablistic tales. That is something we really admire in the work of Martin McDonagh, right from his early stage plays, and the folk-story feeling of Bong Joon-Ho’s work. 

How did you get into film-making and what was the spark that led you to it? 

TOM: We came to filmmaking very much from a writer’s perspective. An Irish Goodbye was our first screenplay and, in truth, we couldn’t get anyone to make it.  

It was a bit too ambitious and we were very green to the whole process. So we went away and wrote another short film ‘Roy’ which was a lot more paired back – one character in one location etc.  

Mostly out of curiosity we decided we would get behind the camera on that film to learn more about the process. We quickly fell in love with directing and bringing our writing to life and haven’t looked back.
 

What stories do you feel need to be brought out involving more diverse and physically challenged actors? 

What issues and themes are you keen to explore in future work? 

ROSS: I’d say we’re less driven by issues and themes and more by characters and worlds. Often, the joy of the writing process for us is having the theme reveal itself to you as you explore the characters.  

Those moments where the penny drops and you feel like the characters have revealed something to you are definitely the most exciting part of the process. 

As I mentioned earlier, we love the worlds explored in the old westerns, and our next short film THE GOLDEN WEST is actually a 19th century period piece following two sisters who have fled the Irish famine to seek their fortunes in the gold rush. We’re really excited to share that with audiences. 

Would you like to expand on the issues and themes explored in this short in a feature project? 

TOM: While we’d never say never, I think both Ross and I feel very proud of the manner in which we’ve been able to tell this story in the short form.  

Because of that, we’re maybe not as desperate to tell it again. I think there would have to be a new spark or idea that builds upon the story to ignite us into a feature version. Our attention now is turning to other ideas that excite us – we can’t wait to get back to writing and exploring these worlds and characters through longer form storytelling. 

How is the Irish film industry at present and what would you like to see happen in the future? 

ROSS:  t’s a very exciting time to be involved in the Irish filmmaking scene. In terms of the award season alone, this year is shaping up to be an historic year with the success of Banshees of Inisherin and The Quiet Girl (An Cailín Ciúin), so to be a small part of that conversation is an honour. 

In a wider sense though, there is so much fantastic work being made all across Ireland by a diverse array of new voices. With independent film seemingly more difficult than ever before, my only hope is that all of our exciting peers get the continued financial support they need to tell their stories on the big screen. 

How has the festival circuit helped your film? 

TOM: After all the hard work in production and post, having the opportunity to get out and share your film with others who care about the medium and know the struggle is always such a galvanising experience. Our first film’s circuit was very much hampered by covid, so it’s been fantastic to get to go back to some festivals that we missed in person the first time around.  

We’ve been blown away by the reception the film has had internationally on the circuit and are forever thankful to the many programmers & juries who have taken a punt on us and shared our work with their audiences. 

Finally, what are you most proud of about this short? 

ROSS: As a film-maker, it’s hard to watch your work and not see the flaws and remember all of the on-set stresses around achieving a certain shot or set up.  

But what I’m most proud of is that with this film, I get so lost in the wonderful performances of our generous and talented cast that I can forget about those imperfections.  

I think the dedication and heart which our cast, and indeed crew, put into this film comes through on screen and I’m really excited to share this story with many, many more people! 

Now read Film And TV Now’s review here:

SHORT FILM REVIEW: AN IRISH GOODBYE

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Film and TV Journalist Follow: @Higgins99John Follow: @filmandtvnow