WORDS Deirdre Molumby
Pilgrim Hill is the debut feature of Gerard Barrett, winner of the Rising Star award at this year’s IFTAs. On the surface it promises to be a simple film about the primitive quality of rural life, but it quickly materialises as a touching portrayal of the quietness, loneliness, and despair of a farmer working in contemporary Ireland.
Barrett says that he always wanted this story to be his first picture, and that the subject matter was close to his heart as a farmer’s son himself; much of the narrative is based on his uncle’s life. ‘I felt it was a story that hadn’t been told before,’ says Barrett. ‘I just wanted it to be a little bit dangerous, and a little bit different and original.’
The film is significant in that it portrays rural Ireland unromantically. ‘If it had stepped out of the way one bit, it could have turned into a postcard film, which is just ridiculous,’ Barrett explains. ‘I wanted to be real with it.’ It is also a film that is more relevant than ever in the wake of the recession, as times are tough for everyone. ‘There are people like him in urban settings as well,’ says Barrett about his main character, Jimmy Walsh. ‘I think you either put out your chest and you fight it and try and make the best of it, or else you’re just so battered and bruised you just can’t fight anymore. I think Jimmy is that way: he’s battered and bruised.’ Perhaps, then, Jimmy is a victim of circumstance? ‘You’re forty plus with no education, what can you do? I wanted to explore that.’
With his portrayal of Jimmy, Joe Mullins gives a performance which is subtle, genuine and touching. As Barrett says, ‘It’s a tough character to portray because rural Ireland is quite bleak in places, but I wanted to show that.’ It was the actor’s first film appearance, but it was actually in a play that Barrett first saw the middle-aged actor. Barrett knew immediately that Joe Mullins was right for the part. Mullins also ticked the box of being a farmer, which Barrett considered vital to playing the role honestly. ‘Joe’s life was a little like [Jimmy’s in the film, and he had] a tough enough relationship with his father . . . I think he had an amazing performance. It’s so engaging ─ and so understated at times, but I think it’s also a powerful performance. He was brilliant to work with.’
I think you either put out your chest and you fight it and try and make the best of it, or else you’re just so battered and bruised you just can’t fight anymore. I think Jimmy is that way: he’s battered and bruised.
I ask Barrett about what brought him to film, and his influences are as surprising as they are interesting. He reveals that some of the first films he saw included Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, with the David Lynch series Twin Peaks also an early favourite. Barrett even counts the odd Jean-Claude Van Damme film amongst his influences. He was exposed to films on VHS early in life by his older brothers (not surprising given he is still in his early-mid twenties), who seem to have had a significant impact on his chosen career trajectory. In his youth, he even made some short films with his brothers, filming and editing them himself. Barrett also attributes growing up in the Stól as a contribution to his creativity in filmmaking; it’s hard not to note his humility and gratitude when he speaks about how his family and community have supported his work.
I am told we only have a minute left for the interview, but that minute soon turns into five minutes. I quickly realise I have run out of questions which Barrett picks up on and laughs about. So we start talking about film in general, and specifically about the Irish film industry, and it is then that Barrett really gets into his comfort zone. We discuss the vast range of opportunities offered by the film industry. At that, he says, ‘I think TV production and animation are taking over film, and I think that’s not a bad thing because they’re more sustainable.’ Gerard certainly has his foot in the door of this industry too, currently producing an animated comedy TV show with Oscar-nominated Brown Bag Films (showing from September, he describes it as a ‘mix between South Park and The IT Crowd’). This year looks busy for Barrett: he will be making a feature film with Film4, has a project set up with Paramount Pictures, and is also directing a play. ‘I could be on the Dole next year though, we’ll see!’ he jokes.
That may be a possibility, but if he is as much a pleasure to work with as he is to chat with, Gerard Barrett has nothing to worry about.
