I recently saw this at the 2008 Palm Springs International Short Fest. This is a story of a 17 year old girl Lowland Fell (Jane McGrath) who is on her own in rural Ireland while her father is on an archaeological dig. On a bicycle ride through the country side she meets two brothers Mark (Robert Sheehan) and John (Michael Winder) near her age who are cutting peat in the bogs. She accidentally makes a remarkable discovery which leads to she and the brothers spending an evening together at their nearby farmhouse. It's really not much of a story but it's beautifully shot by cinematographer Suzie Lavelle and nicely directed by director/writer Michael Kinirons, a graduate of the National Film School in London who was at my screening for an audience Q&A. Irish television actors McGrath and Robert Sheenan with Winder turn in good screen roles. McGrath has a natural screen presence and is in virtually every scene. A fantastic music score from Chris White. This is a strange little film but is a strong testament to the talent involved in it's production. Elaine Harrington co-writes, art direction from Francis Taafe and Zoe Ellis edits. I would give this a 7.5 out of 10 and recommend it.
4 Reviews
Interesting and well-shot, but not sure where the film was going with the plot
bob the moo5 April 2014
Although it s very nicely paced and filmed, I'm not entirely sure how to take this film. The plot sees a girl out in a boggy area of Ireland with her father, an archaeologist. She gets lost in the peat bogs and finds two very attractive brothers working together who give her directions. She faints off her bike nearby, falling into a bog and discovering the remains of a man supposedly killed as part of a ritual many years ago. She tries to tell her father but is uninterested so she stays with the two men, going back to their house to clean up. Staying the night and turning 17 that very day, the girl continues to explore and discover things for the first time.
There is a theme here of discovery but I am not sure how to take the connection between the father's job, the girl's discovery and the final discovery of the film. I'm also not sure how to take the meaning of the final shot and the progression of the plot and the ritualistic nature of parts of it. It seems to be a path of discovery for the girl but it seems a very specific and convoluted way to deliver this – with so many other aspects in here distracting from that central theme. It is very well made around this, with a good pace to the story telling that draws you along and a nice natural air to the performances and the places. It held my attention and it interested me throughout, but the theme of exploring and stumbling into new discoveries seemed a bit too convoluted and generally I didn't totally get where the film was trying to go with it.
There is a theme here of discovery but I am not sure how to take the connection between the father's job, the girl's discovery and the final discovery of the film. I'm also not sure how to take the meaning of the final shot and the progression of the plot and the ritualistic nature of parts of it. It seems to be a path of discovery for the girl but it seems a very specific and convoluted way to deliver this – with so many other aspects in here distracting from that central theme. It is very well made around this, with a good pace to the story telling that draws you along and a nice natural air to the performances and the places. It held my attention and it interested me throughout, but the theme of exploring and stumbling into new discoveries seemed a bit too convoluted and generally I didn't totally get where the film was trying to go with it.
You seriously want to see more!
Irishchatter16 May 2014
Warning: Spoilers
When I first came across this film on Youtube, I really found it extraordinary with the stunning sky and bog views at the beginning of the film when it was set in the middle of nowhere in Ireland!
You normally don't see a young Irish girl riding a motorcycle,being saved by two handsome guys and then finding a creepy cursed artifact that would hypnotize them all in Irish movies.
I didn't even realize Robert Sheehan was the lead role in this and by god, he did the job good with being a country guy! I'm glad they made this film have that 'Irish' feel because we should show tourists what Ireland really is about.
You normally don't see a young Irish girl riding a motorcycle,being saved by two handsome guys and then finding a creepy cursed artifact that would hypnotize them all in Irish movies.
I didn't even realize Robert Sheehan was the lead role in this and by god, he did the job good with being a country guy! I'm glad they made this film have that 'Irish' feel because we should show tourists what Ireland really is about.
An erotic thriller? I am not sure, not a particularly good one I suppose
Horst_In_Translation10 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
"Lowland Fell" (is that really supposed to be her name) is an Irish English-language movie from 2008, so already over a decade old and the writer and director here is Michael Kinirons, whose most known achievement is probably still being part of the writing staff of a Nicole Kidman movie. Anyway, back to this one here: It runs for 21 minutes exactly, including credits, and the reason why it is seen today by people still is probably mostly cast member Robert Sheehan. I think he is the most known from the cast today. This is the story of a girl who is on a tour with her bike, but then she has a puncture or anything and won't get forward anymore. Luckily for her, there's two brothers with curly hair not far away and these two help her and also show an immediate interest in her that goes beyond solving her mechanical problems, even if said interest has certainly to do with her carcass. So yeah, the issue is solved quickly and she ends up at the brothers' home with the duo and there is not much brotherly love between the two anymore, but it is much more about jealousy from now on. Each of the two spends some quality time with the girl and she obviously enjoys their interest and affection. So which one will she pick eventually? Well, the decision is not what I expected, but I will spare you the details and spoilers. That this is also exactly the day before her 17th birthday was a bit too much perhaps. What was certainly too much was the shot of the face in the swamp near the end and there the film tries to be way more than it actually is. The tension and atmosphere and aggression in this film weren't bad at all and it could have worked from this perspective alone, even if there is little to this film all in all than the jealousy and the suspense who she will be going for. The music also was a bit too much and almost sounded as if this film was set in the Middle East or something. Or as if there was a high-qualuty mystery component to it. Not the case. Overall, this little movie is not a failure, but in my opinion also not good enough to check it out. Go for something else instead. Irish films are usually better.
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