A LITTLE GEM OF A FILM

I seen this film when it was shown on terestrial television a few months back. It is one of those films that can go unnoticed and would otherwise have gone straight to DVD where no doubt it would languish. I take it that because it went to TV so quick that it did not get released in the cinemas. Not here in the UK anyway. That is a shame because it really is superb and deserves a wider audience. The subject is one which has been tackled quite often. Conflict, two sides. The film at no time tries to preach its message but its theme of redemption and forgiveness is telegraphed almost from the start. The two central characters are Joe Griffin the brother of a man killed in a sectarian shooting by Alistair Little a UVF gunman played by Liam Neeson. Joe is approached to do one of those face to face documentaries where he confronts the man who killed his brother and who is now a conflict resolution lecturer. The performances by both actors is solid but for me Jimmy Nesbit who for all his tabloid escapades is a fine actor, acts Neeson off the screen. You actually feel his pain unfold and it is deeply moving. Neeson's character is more stoic but his pain is hidden up until the end of the film. Both characters have something in common and share an experience although that is immediately obvious. They are both victims and both lonely people. I was struck by Liam Neeson's candid speech near the end of the film where sitting in his penthouse flat he intimates that his past has made him a prisoner and you really believe he is in deep turmoil over what he has done.
Every person who grew up in Northern Ireland knew someone who was a victim of violence and also knew someone who was responsible for it. Its a strange environment to grow up in, knowing that a person was actively engaged in trying to or was responsible for murder. That may sound shocking but look at who is currently running our parliament and you will see people there who were previously engaged in terrorism. Convicted and tried.
Stories like the one written here by Guy Hibbert and directed expertly by Oliver Hirschbiegel are not uncommon here in Northern Ireland or in other conflict areas around the world. The universal truth about conflict is that eventually it must come to an end. When it does and there is no obvious victor then all that is left is the echoes of suffering, of needless loss and everlasting regret.
Forget the polished big budget studio offerings and take in this film. Its not as morbid or dark as the synopsis might suggest. It is actually quite uplifting with moments of wit and humour. I thought it was like reading a poem.