Written by Riley Kane, Photo courtesy of IMDB
The powerhouse family of Irish tinkerers, the Gleesons, made an earnest first splash with their short film, “Psychic” starring “Braveheart” actor Brendan Gleeson. It marks Brendan’s directorial debut, allied with talented actor sons, Domnhall and Brian along with writer Rory Gleeson and composer Fergus Gleeson.
The film, simply put, is a story about family. Brendan’s character, Jeremiah, is a chipper fortune teller, delighted to appear on a talk show after years of retirement. He playfully talks about his turban to host, Harding [Ingrid Cragie], and his previous life as a construction worker. It is a ridiculous introduction to the titular character and a welcome one. Brendan acts enigmatically, his Irish accent creating a likable and otherworldly antique of a man. During this scene, we are introduced briefly to sons Michelangelo [Brian Gleeson] and Shergar [Domnhall Gleeson] who stand back and watch. It’s not too farfetched to concoct a scenario in our mind in which the real-life brothers are truly sharing a word or two about their delusional father.
Back in their home, they drink carelessly while the camera focuses on the conversations between the brothers. Jeremiah slumps on a couch in the background, accepting his nonexistence and sharing little to do with their scheme. It is an interesting technique, if not a bit stagnant. This is where we get a bulk of the information, including the deceptive nature of the job. It shows off Shergar’s skepticism and Michelangelo’s go-getter attitude. These scenes involve shot-reverse-shot ad nauseam, but that doesn’t give much scope to the characters. If we’re to be trapped with these characters in one primary location, we can never get too comfortable, lest they lose our attention.
Luckily, the debacle that ensues in the final minutes is humorous. Michelangelo himself goes back onto Harding’s talk show, dressed up gaudily. He has since dismissed Jeremiah. Shergar can’t help but watch his brother flounder. Michelangelo ends the interview with a haphazard advertisement for their website, straight-faced into the camera. It’s with an accepting grin that we’re supposed to believe these two brothers will not be seeing a bright future any time soon.
There are not many moments to enable our feelers and shed any ounce of sympathy for this family. As lovable as Jeremiah is, the lack of importance he plays after his appearance on the talk show provided little motivation as well as context for his sudden dismissal. There’s not a lot you can play with narrative in 18 minutes, that’s for certain. Even then, I felt devalued and listless by the end of it.
What ended up being the strongest point was seeing this more as a family project gone successful. This film, if anything, is an inspiration for all those perky families out there that have always wanted to do something together [family band anyone?]. It’s a dedication to get the whole gang involved. If the Gleesons can do it, why can’t you?
