By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Wiebke von Carolsfeld
Starring: Aidan Quinn | Barry Keoghan | Brian Gleeson | Carrie Crowley | Michael Ironside | Nika McGuigan | Taylor Schilling
Country: canada, ireland
Year: 2014
Running time: 99
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2234032/combined
Michael says: “STAY is the long-awaited second narrative feature from Chlotrudis winner and friend, Wiebke von Carolsfeld. It comes ten years after her powerful debut, MARION BRIDGE, and while STAY may not pack the emotional or dramatic punch as the former film, it’s a mature, accomplished work that is worth a better reception than it got.
“Taylor Schilling (now a star in Netflix’ Orange is the New Black) plays Abbey, a Canadian living in a remote village on the Ireland coast. She’s involved with a much older former professor, Dermot, played beautifully by Aidan Quinn. When Abbey discovers she is pregnant, Dermot has a very negative reaction, and she returns to her father in Montreal to sort out her life. Meanwhile, Abbey’s departure slaps Dermot out of his emotional (and partially alcohol-induced) stupor, and he channels his frustration in not being able to reach her by telephone nor e-mail, by focusing on a couple of lost kids in the village.
“It’s all set in a bleak, yet gorgeous setting, and acted well by a talented cast. It’s a challenging film as most of the drama is
internalized, something that was surely plumbed in the novel that served as its source, but is more subtle on screen. Wiebke does a remarkable job, as do the actors, in bringing the internal struggles to the surface without getting overly dramatic, or developing forced scenarios that ring false in order to make an emotional point. It’s a very mature and quiet romance, and effective too, even though the two halves of the couple spend most of their time on different continents. 4 cats”