Released: 27th October 2020 (Netflix)
Length: 101 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Director: Nick Rowland
Starring: Cosmo Jarvis, Barry Keoghan, Niamh Algar, Ned Dennehy, Kiljan Moroney and David Wilmot
The smaller scale crime drama is often ripe with intrigue and depth. Depending on the setup, you can craft incredibly detailed, character driven stories. With its contained scale and minimalist presentation, Calm with Horses boasts some high points, but doesn’t quite rise to its full potential.
In modern Ireland, criminal enforcer Douglas (Cosmo Jarvis) is being pulled in different directions with dangerous consequences. When he makes the choice not to murder a troublesome member of the group, the hoodlum finds himself forced to choose between his two families; the criminal gang he has inhabited for years, or the partner and son he has neglected. We flash between the protagonist and his family with the tones and presentational styles often being dramatically different. There’s intimidation, brutal violence and difficult confrontations abound as the man attempts to find a way out of his predicament. As opposed to the gritty action of other productions, Calm with Horses is far slower, allowing its atmosphere to creep in.
The characterisation in Calm with Horses is paradoxical, being its greatest strength and greatest weakness in equal measure. Douglas is a very violent, unstable person; you feel like he could explode on someone at any moment. This personality is brilliantly conveyed by Cosmo Jarvis through his subtle facial expressions; every so often, we see a tinge of emotion emerge from beneath his rugged exterior. What the other characters do is represent different directions that the protagonist could take, especially his autistic son Jack (Kiljan Moroney), whose violent mood swings test Douglas’s patience time and again. Niamh Algar is equally good as Douglas’s estranged partner Ursula; whenever the tensions flare, she’s visibly anxious around him and cautious of the rift between them.
On the other hand though, we don’t learn much else about the characters. It’s frustrating because every performer does a great job, but they’re limited by the material of the script. I wanted to learn more about the character’s backgrounds and how they got to where they were, but instead it’s mostly left to passing mentions. How was Douglas’s past career as a boxer? How did he get involved with the crime family? These questions are rarely elaborated on and come off as a missed opportunity.
The technical details of Calm with Horses make the most of the smaller scale, often through its lighting. Douglas is framed in shadows and deeper colours, while his family is placed in natural light, emphasising the divide between them. The film’s strongest technique is the ambience that hangs over the proceedings. The music is slow-moving and calm, only entering the scene at pivotal moments; Calm with Horses is often a very quiet piece, allowing the character’s struggles to be placed front and centre. The hills of rural Ireland make for a great backdrop and reflect the isolated nature of the crime family and their misdeeds.
The emotionally charged performances of Calm with Horses do make an impression, but they also lack the depth that would make the characters more engrossing. Its ambient atmosphere is very impressive; though in the end, there are better productions that portray a more intimate side of the crime genre.
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars (Good)
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