Wildfire – Post-Traumatic Syndrome
REVIEW/NATION
by Albina Akhatova
03.05.2021
03.05.2021
The most famous films about the conflict in Northern Ireland and the activities of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) — Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008), A Prayer for The Dying (1887), Hidden Agenda (1990), In The Name of The Father (1993), The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2006), The Dawning (1988), Cal (1984) — are made by male-directors. The events of this conflict through the male view are shown as action films, thrillers and detectives with blood, explosions and other "child-like toy-wars". The female perspective of debut director Cathy Brady in Wildfire (2020) drama shows the other, emotional and traumatic side as an echo reverberating through generations.
The main character Kelly who has been missing for a while returns to Northern Ireland to her sister Lauren who lives with her husband Sean and works in a warehouse. At the same time, the film does not say what happened to Kelly: why she was in Ireland and was listed as missing. The story is directed towards the reunion of the sisters, which significantly disrupts the well-established order of Lauren and Sean's life because both girls continue to experience the aftermaths of teenage trauma caused by their mother's suicide. Their father was killed by the IRA's terrorist attack in the early '90s. It is noteworthy that neither the exact city nor the date is given: thus, the national importance of the problem that the movie talks about is emphasized.
The characters play out the classic Karpman triangle. The victim — Kelly — does not find a place in her new life and slowly goes mad because of the memories and thoughts about her mother. Lauren, who saves her, stands up for Sean, aunt Veronica and friends. The stalker — Sean — tries to integrate Kelly into the usual order of things and behave normally and take her to a psychotherapist.
The children's saying about the north and the south, when you can swim in the lake in the northern part of Ireland, then in the southern state, is similar to bipolar disorder, the signs of which are present in the sisters themselves, and in their relationships. It even rhymes with the history of the country, which for several decades could not decide on its unification. Lauren alternates between shooing Kelly away and supporting her at the same time. Kelly rushes from a carefree and joyful mood to a depressive one. The sisters sometimes fight, sometimes have fun. The atmosphere of the film is similar to Mulholland Drive (2001) in its gloominess, the girls' attempts to deal with themselves, hopeless darkness and, of course, the indissoluble connection of two sisters who are very close to each other. The chemistry between Nika McGuigan and Nora-Jane Noone works great. Perhaps McGuigan's performance could have been influenced by her fight with cancer and a premonition of death (the actress has died in 2019 after filming), which brought her closer to Kelly's feelings.
An image of a wolf is significant: the animal attacks Kelly when she returns to Northern Ireland, and then the girls see it in the dark repeatedly. Notably, their mother appears in a red coat. There is an allusion to Little Red Riding Hood. But in the context of the film, these reminiscences are deciphered differently. Wolves are associated with the Fenians — the legendary Irish warriors. The name of the Fenians was taken in the 19th century by revolutionaries who joined the ranks of the Irish Republican Army with the outbreak of the Irish Civil War. The IRA also staged terrorist attacks for the independence of Ireland, and later for reunification with the northern part of the island, which now is under the jurisdiction of the British crown. Thus, the wolf in the film is an image of a child's bundle of fear and horror, which Kelly and Lauren, as infants, absorbed into their unconscious. They then watched their traumatized mother, whom this "wolf" continued to hunt like Little Red Riding Hood. Now Kelly, who is pulling Lauren into this abyss, is also hunted by it. When Kelly asks her sister if there are still wolves in their town, she may be referring to the terrorists.
The ghost of the mother is constantly chasing the sisters: they can not cope with her suicide for decades. For Kelly, the image of her mother is overwhelming : everyone talks about similarities in appearance and mental problems. Her mother's red coat, in which she committed suicide, only strengthens this connection when Kelly finds it in the barn and starts to wear it. In general, the movie is not about a difficult family relationship, a Britain-Irish confrontation or strange girls who have fallen into childhood. This is a story of post-traumatic stress spread over generations.
An image of a wolf is significant: the animal attacks Kelly when she returns to Northern Ireland, and then the girls see it in the dark repeatedly. Notably, their mother appears in a red coat. There is an allusion to Little Red Riding Hood. But in the context of the film, these reminiscences are deciphered differently. Wolves are associated with the Fenians — the legendary Irish warriors. The name of the Fenians was taken in the 19th century by revolutionaries who joined the ranks of the Irish Republican Army with the outbreak of the Irish Civil War. The IRA also staged terrorist attacks for the independence of Ireland, and later for reunification with the northern part of the island, which now is under the jurisdiction of the British crown. Thus, the wolf in the film is an image of a child's bundle of fear and horror, which Kelly and Lauren, as infants, absorbed into their unconscious. They then watched their traumatized mother, whom this "wolf" continued to hunt like Little Red Riding Hood. Now Kelly, who is pulling Lauren into this abyss, is also hunted by it. When Kelly asks her sister if there are still wolves in their town, she may be referring to the terrorists.
The ghost of the mother is constantly chasing the sisters: they can not cope with her suicide for decades. For Kelly, the image of her mother is overwhelming : everyone talks about similarities in appearance and mental problems. Her mother's red coat, in which she committed suicide, only strengthens this connection when Kelly finds it in the barn and starts to wear it. In general, the movie is not about a difficult family relationship, a Britain-Irish confrontation or strange girls who have fallen into childhood. This is a story of post-traumatic stress spread over generations.
At the beginning of the film, Kelly's red hair, merging with the seafoam wave, for a moment turns the frame into an Irish flag, as if a piece of Northern Ireland is returning to a single state, as the character is returning to her family. However, knowing the complex history, political situation, and now the plot, we understand that this reunion will not happen easily — only after realizing and working through the psychological traumas that are inherited by innocent descendants.
Wildfire – Post-traumatic Syndrome
REVIEW/NATION
by Albina Akhatova
03.05.2021
03.05.2021
The most famous films about the conflict in Northern Ireland and the activities of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) — Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008), A Prayer for The Dying (1887), Hidden Agenda (1990), In The Name of The Father (1993), The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2006), The Dawning (1988), Cal (1984) — are made by male-directors. The events of this conflict through the male view are shown as action films, thrillers and detectives with blood, explosions and other "child-like toy-wars". The female perspective of debut director Cathy Brady in Wildfire (2020) drama shows the other, emotional and traumatic side as an echo reverberating through generations.
The main character Kelly who has been missing for a while returns to Northern Ireland to her sister Lauren who lives with her husband Sean and works in a warehouse. At the same time, the film does not say what happened to Kelly: why she was in Ireland and was listed as missing. The story is directed towards the reunion of the sisters, which significantly disrupts the well-established order of Lauren and Sean's life because both girls continue to experience the aftermaths of teenage trauma caused by their mother's suicide. Their father was killed by the IRA's terrorist attack in the early '90s. It is noteworthy that neither the exact city nor the date is given: thus, the national importance of the problem that the movie talks about is emphasized.
The characters play out the classic Karpman triangle. The victim — Kelly — does not find a place in her new life and slowly goes mad because of the memories and thoughts about her mother. Lauren, who saves her, stands up for Sean, aunt Veronica and friends. The stalker — Sean — tries to integrate Kelly into the usual order of things and behave normally and take her to a psychotherapist.
The characters play out the classic Karpman triangle. The victim — Kelly — does not find a place in her new life and slowly goes mad because of the memories and thoughts about her mother. Lauren, who saves her, stands up for Sean, aunt Veronica and friends. The stalker — Sean — tries to integrate Kelly into the usual order of things and behave normally and take her to a psychotherapist.
The children's saying about the north and the south, when you can swim in the lake in the northern part of Ireland, then in the southern state, is similar to bipolar disorder, the signs of which are present in the sisters themselves, and in their relationships. It even rhymes with the history of the country, which for several decades could not decide on its unification. Lauren alternates between shooing Kelly away and supporting her at the same time. Kelly rushes from a carefree and joyful mood to a depressive one. The sisters sometimes fight, sometimes have fun. The atmosphere of the film is similar to Mulholland Drive (2001) in its gloominess, the girls' attempts to deal with themselves, hopeless darkness and, of course, the indissoluble connection of two sisters who are very close to each other. The chemistry between Nika McGuigan and Nora-Jane Noone works great. Perhaps McGuigan's performance could have been influenced by her fight with cancer and a premonition of death (the actress has died in 2019 after filming), which brought her closer to Kelly's feelings.
An image of a wolf is significant: the animal attacks Kelly when she returns to Northern Ireland, and then the girls see it in the dark repeatedly. Notably, their mother appears in a red coat. There is an allusion to Little Red Riding Hood. But in the context of the film, these reminiscences are deciphered differently. Wolves are associated with the Fenians — the legendary Irish warriors. The name of the Fenians was taken in the 19th century by revolutionaries who joined the ranks of the Irish Republican Army with the outbreak of the Irish Civil War. The IRA also staged terrorist attacks for the independence of Ireland, and later for reunification with the northern part of the island, which now is under the jurisdiction of the British crown. Thus, the wolf in the film is an image of a child's bundle of fear and horror, which Kelly and Lauren, as infants, absorbed into their unconscious. They then watched their traumatized mother, whom this "wolf" continued to hunt like Little Red Riding Hood. Now Kelly, who is pulling Lauren into this abyss, is also hunted by it. When Kelly asks her sister if there are still wolves in their town, she may be referring to the terrorists.
The ghost of the mother is constantly chasing the sisters: they can not cope with her suicide for decades. For Kelly, the image of her mother is overwhelming : everyone talks about similarities in appearance and mental problems. Her mother's red coat, in which she committed suicide, only strengthens this connection when Kelly finds it in the barn and starts to wear it. In general, the movie is not about a difficult family relationship, a Britain-Irish confrontation or strange girls who have fallen into childhood. This is a story of post-traumatic stress spread over generations.
An image of a wolf is significant: the animal attacks Kelly when she returns to Northern Ireland, and then the girls see it in the dark repeatedly. Notably, their mother appears in a red coat. There is an allusion to Little Red Riding Hood. But in the context of the film, these reminiscences are deciphered differently. Wolves are associated with the Fenians — the legendary Irish warriors. The name of the Fenians was taken in the 19th century by revolutionaries who joined the ranks of the Irish Republican Army with the outbreak of the Irish Civil War. The IRA also staged terrorist attacks for the independence of Ireland, and later for reunification with the northern part of the island, which now is under the jurisdiction of the British crown. Thus, the wolf in the film is an image of a child's bundle of fear and horror, which Kelly and Lauren, as infants, absorbed into their unconscious. They then watched their traumatized mother, whom this "wolf" continued to hunt like Little Red Riding Hood. Now Kelly, who is pulling Lauren into this abyss, is also hunted by it. When Kelly asks her sister if there are still wolves in their town, she may be referring to the terrorists.
The ghost of the mother is constantly chasing the sisters: they can not cope with her suicide for decades. For Kelly, the image of her mother is overwhelming : everyone talks about similarities in appearance and mental problems. Her mother's red coat, in which she committed suicide, only strengthens this connection when Kelly finds it in the barn and starts to wear it. In general, the movie is not about a difficult family relationship, a Britain-Irish confrontation or strange girls who have fallen into childhood. This is a story of post-traumatic stress spread over generations.
At the beginning of the film, Kelly's red hair, merging with the seafoam wave, for a moment turns the frame into an Irish flag, as if a piece of Northern Ireland is returning to a single state, as the character is returning to her family. However, knowing the complex history, political situation, and now the plot, we understand that this reunion will not happen easily — only after realizing and working through the psychological traumas that are inherited by innocent descendants.
