Mammal – review

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In the opening shot of Mammal, Rebecca Daly’s second feature film, we see protagonist Margaret (Rachel Griffiths) swimming towards the camera underwater, as a child suddenly does a cannonball from the poolside. This sense of tranquility being disturbed sets the tone for the following 90 minutes. Margaret, a middle-aged woman living in a run-down, gang-ridden area of Dublin, is alone in the world and appears to like it that way. Upon finding young Joe (Barry Keoghan) stabbed in the hand outside her ironclad front door, she persuades him to move into her spare bedroom while she seeks a lodger. Initially standoffish and distrustful, the relationship is propelled along by beer, smokes and skinny-dipping, but Joe’s gang allegiances ultimately have terrible consequences for Margaret.


Superb acting by Griffiths and Keoghan creates a powerful and puzzling dynamic between two enigmatic characters. On one hand, Margaret appears to be seeking the son she never had and thus fosters Joe. On the other, we question whether it is carnal desire which motivates them to stay in the situation. The bland, unremarkable setting allow us to focus all of our attention on the leads. This is, unfortunately, where the film falters. Neither Margaret nor Joe are especially likeable, or relatable. Daly seems to simply assume that we want to solve the puzzle she’s weaving, and by giving us no particular motivation to get to know the characters or care about the story, she risks completely alienating the audience. Individual scenes are well crafted, but transitions are poor and disjointed. The second half stumbles about, introducing several unresolved subplots, and the film eventually concludes with an anticlimactic, utterly baffling ending.


Mammal is a poignant and cleverly woven story about the various manifestations of grief and its effects on the human psyche, but the detached style of direction and disappointing ending let down what could be an extremely powerful piece of art. Unfathomable characters shut out the audience and forces us to stare at something which, like Margaret and Joe’s relationship, never becomes quite clear.

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