Miss Flicks

Christy review: A touching Irish drama with impressive newcomers

Director Brendan Canty has assembled a fine line-up of non-professional actors for his heartwarming Irish drama Christy.

Set in a working-class suburb of Cork, this drama follows the titular Christy (Danny Power), an orphaned 17-year-old who is kicked out of his foster home. His estranged half-brother Shane (Diarmuid Noyes) reluctantly takes him in “for a few weeks” until he turns 18, and secretly tries to find Christy a new foster home behind his back.

Shane doesn’t give Christy a chance; he assumes that he’s nothing but trouble and too much hassle. Maybe Christy was that way before (he’s still not afraid of a scrap), but he turns his fortunes around by finding friends, connecting with people who knew his mum, and making his own income as a barber.

This film may seem like it’ll be a doom and gloom social realism drama for its entirety, but it gets more positive and hopeful as Christy finds his purpose and community. There are also pockets of lightness and humour throughout, mainly thanks to his friend Robot (Jamie Forde), and it ends on such a lovely note. Then there’s a special treat in the credits with a music video starring the young actors rapping an original tune. It brought me so much joy! All credits should contain a cast music video!!

Most of the cast members were non-professionals whom Canty found in Cork for his 2019 short, and he brought the majority of them back for the feature. Canty did a terrific job discovering these gems. Power is so natural and effortless, it feels like he’s not acting at all. But the standout is Forde, who cracked me up. Although he’s the comedian of the piece, he’s also very thoughtful and surprisingly mature for his age. Alison Oliver, who I know from Saltburn and Conversations with Friends, also pops up briefly as a homeless woman named Chloe.

Featuring a cracking cast and a heartwarming arc for our protagonist, Christy is definitely worth checking out.

In cinemas from Friday 5th September

Check out my interview with director Brendan Canty here.