In films, as in life, we often stick to what we know. I know I like a good thriller, a foreign drama, even a broad American comedy. I didn’t know that a film about a young Irish girl emigrating to New York in the 1950s and being torn between making a new start or returning home, would be one of my recent favourites, but last year’s ‘Brooklyn’ was a heart wrenching success. Often films are marketed to a particular audience (Let’s not mention ‘chick flicks’, that’s a discussion for another day) and we assume they’re not for us. Two films showing in Oswestry this week might be of more interest than you expect. ‘Daphne’ (2017) is the story of a single woman in London, a funny, honest, flawed and not always endearing woman, but the kind of woman who actually exists. She gets drunk, goes to work, goes on dates and struggles with her mum. As a film it’s a low key drama, occasionally funny, always human, and well worth watching.
Irish comedy drama ‘Handsome Devil’ (2016) is part of Oswestry Film Society’s LGBT season, and if you think LGBT themed films aren’t for you, think again. It’s a coming of age drama about being comfortable in your own skin and not conforming to others’ expectations. We’ve all been there in one way or another, and there’s a joy in watching others navigate the process, usually better than we managed.
So next time you read a film review or see a trailer that makes you think “That’s not my thing”, give it a try, it might turn out to be just your thing.
Michael Hudson
From our weekly column in the Oswestry Advertizer, published on 14th November 2017.