Made In Belfast is another local film with a pinched budget but large aspirations. Ciarán McMenamin is a returned writer facing the wreckage of old friendships. His has a least one certifiably great scene when he gives his mate a crash course in the art of love letters. Bronagh Gallagher is monumentally funny as the brooding undertaker. Lawley Roddy is the recovering lush, busted like Walter Brennan in To Have And Have Not. The ending isn’t wonderful and a few scenes look more like tourist board ads, but all this is trumped by the verve and the tangible will to express the humour and the skewed shape of new Belfast.
Made In Belfast
Gary Lightbody is Marty the barman. His character is also a literary fanboy, and must have enjoyed reversing the normal role of admirer and recipient. Finally there is a tremendous soundtrack, with Our Krypton Son, Jupiter Ace, Wonder Villains and Robyn G Shiels, who reprises his musical function from the Cherry Bomb picture, royally bumming out the scene. Yay.