A disturbingly dark and gripping tale of rivalry and vengeance between neighbouring shepherds in this strong directorial debut
It's hard to say exactly where Christopher Andrews’ Bring The Down is set… we know it was shot in Wicklow but this film feels more like a parable taking place in a world sealed off from ours. For one, no matter how many laws are broken or lives threatened, the notion of getting the authorities involved isn’t even brought up. There’s a real "we fix our problems" attitude that, while may not be representative of the Irish sheep farming community, gives a compelling other worldliness to the proceedings.
Stoic and silent shepherd Michael (Christopher Abbot) lives with his housebound father, Ray (Colm Meaney). The neighbouring sheep farm belongs to Gary (Paul Ready) and his son Jack (Barry Keoghan), a belligerent duo in the midst of a land dispute with Michael and Ray. Tensions are exacerbated when Michael strongly suspects that Jack has claimed two of his flock. What follows is a harsh and violent affair and just as you think it’s reached its climax, we’re transported back to the beginning to watch the plot pay out again from a different point of view. It’s a bold and fascinating approach.
It's all very bleak seeing the frustratingly non-communicative shepherds rush to violence as a means to an end. The warmth of Caroline (Nora Jane Noone), a love interest from Michael’s past and awkwardly, Gary’s current wife, is a welcome factor in such unpleasantness. With so much darkness, figuratively and literally (much of the film takes place in fields at night), a rock-solid cast is a must and Bring Them Down has this nailed down.
Abbot is a strong yet unpredictable presence with a convincing Irish accent that’s probably served well by the fact that character says very little, and Meaney’s perpetually furious Irish-speaking patriarch is reliably entertaining. Unsurprisingly, the standout is Keoghan, who delivers a chilling performance, doing what he does best, characters of moral ambiguity with a streak of malevolence.
It’s violent but not gratuitous, or always graphic, in fact it achieves a lot with extremely effective sound design rather than blood and gore. One scene in particular will make you squirm in tour seat through the audio alone. The less is more approach suggesting Abbot’s confidence in the director’s seat. The desolate and gloomy study of male violence and its consequences isn’t for everyone but if you’re onboard, it'll suck you right in.
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