“Just can't let the past get you down.”
Let's get one thing straight—I wasn't expecting to care. “Another estranged-brothers drama set in ‘gritty' Ireland,” I thought, half-distracted, half-cynical. But there's a shot in the new Christy trailer that made me exhale—like I'd been holding my breath for years. The damp, the defiance. You can feel it in the marrow.
Brendan Canty, making his feature debut (finally), knows how to play with tension. “Christy,” which first bowed at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival, quickly made the rounds—headed to Karlovy Vary, Galway, maybe everywhere that still has a taste for real cinema. Lucky us.
Two Brothers, One Bruised City
Here's the gist: Christy, 17—kicked out, pissed off, looking for a landing—gets dumped at his older brother's place. Shane (cue the nerves) has his own baggage, plus a young family staring down the fallout. You'd expect hell and maybe—if you're honest—a lot of shouting in damp kitchens. Instead, what Canty offers pulses with something more: sweat, soul, little acts of grace. Every cliché, sidestepped; every punch, earned.
The story shoves Christy right up against the kind of family you only survive—the checks, the betrayals, the Northside fracturing under the weight of memory. Still, somehow, it's not bleak. (Raw? Sure. But not hopeless.) Maybe that's Ireland for you: the rain keeps coming, but so do the small, defiant joys.
Talent That Actually Sparks
Daniel Power, as Christy, doesn't look like he's acting—more like he's lived three lifetimes before breakfast. Diarmuid Noyes (Shane) is the opposite: guarded, aching, trying not to drown. The supporting cast? Deep bench. From Alison Oliver to Chris Walley, everyone has something jagged, something real. Even the soundtrack, thanks to Cork's Kabin Studio—yes, the same crew behind “The Spark”—feels alive, like background chatter in a crowded chipper.
What really sets “Christy” apart isn't just the authenticity (though there's buckets of it), but the way Canty refuses neat endings. Reconciliation? Maybe. Forgiveness? Possibly. But nothing's resolved with a speech or a hug—just small, stubborn acts of love.
Why This Actually Matters
We like to talk about “second chances,” especially in movies. “Christy” chews that idea up—spits it back with the taste of Friday nightlife and mistakes you'll keep regretting ‘til you're old. Is that hope? I think so. At the very least, it's honest.
Release calendar, for those who buy tickets before reading reviews:
- Irish Cinemas: August 29, 2025
- UK Release: September 5, 2025
- US Release: Not announced (yet—watch this space)
If you want Oscar fluff—keep scrolling. For everyone else: brace yourself. “Christy” looks ready to leave a mark, and in Irish cinema's bruised, beautiful history, that's saying something.
