Based on Dónal Ryan's 2013 novel, The Thing About December, Foscadh is an insightful, powerful look at a man on the margins. John Cuniffe, played by Dónall Ó hÉalaí, is a young man who, as the name of the film suggests, has been sheltered from much of life until his parents die, leaving him to fend for himself.
He struggles to figure out how to form meaningful relationships and finds himself in the middle of a row about land and inheritance with no-one to turn to for advice. When he meets Siobhán (Fionnuala Flaherty) he can’t make eye contact with her at first but attempts to forge a romantic relationship that stumbles and falters because of his lack of experience with women. John and Siobhán’s relationship is akin to a challenge for John to show there’s nothing 'wrong' with him.
Éiríonn le Ó hÉalaí beocht a thabhairt do John agus an té atá ag féachaint ar an scannán a thabhairt leo go domhan eile. Domhan ina bhfuil John Cuniffe ag foghlaim faoin saol don chéad uair, shílfeá, agus é ina dhuine fásta.
Nuair a chuireann John aithne ar Dave agus Siobhán, is léir gurb iad seo a chéad chairde agus nach bhfuil sé cinnte cén chaoi le caidrimh a láimhseáil. Tá radharc amháin a sheasann amach idir John agus Siobhán a mhúnlaíonn neart den scannán domsa, nuair nach léir do John cén chaoi le luí le bean, go tuisceanach.
The wild and bleak Connemara landscape serves as the perfect backdrop for Foscadh, as beautiful, rural and lonely as it is. Moments of seeing John in nature are childlike and innocent and let the audience get to know him better.
Foscadh is a captivating, challenging film taking on even more challenging topics - lonely, emotionally ill-equipped men in rural Ireland and all that goes with it.
