GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL 2020 - Calm With Horses
GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL 2020Nick Rowland's Calm With Horses is a thrilling rural Irish drama that stokes an incredibly rich thematic fire with a seismic central performance from Cosmo Jarvis.
Jarvis is nothing short of incredible here as bull in a china shop Arm – a performance so full of depth and range it will leave the viewer with visible remnants and shock in its utterly perfect execution. His range is mesmerising to behold on screen, not only in its staunch heavy weighted conviction but the emotional range provided.
The talent of Jarvis is one that will not only send shivers down audiences’ spines in its organic honesty, but the brutality and relentlessness of making ends meet in the sheer darkness of this criminal world are deeply compelling — undeniably helped with the performance of Niamh Algar as Arm's ex-girlfriend Ursula. Ursula: a character not left in the background to drown in the environmental discourse but a dynamic role that is in a torturous cycle between looking after the pair’s severely autistic child and finding a place for him in this world above all else.
Director Nick Rowland and screenwriter Joe Murtagh perfectly capture this wild and bleak, albeit survival instinct, in its most profound essence. There is a multitude of character arcs that are essential to craft this environment but are also layered to such a degree they are sole stories in their own right.
Rising star Barry Keoghan takes the back seat with his character an almost muted thug but still undeniably crafts a superb screen presence – the actor’s range an unquestionable and affording acquisition for any feature to have. That being said, such a performance is able to rely on an essentially nonverbal character due to how terrifically warm and engaging the camaraderie, the family ties and the general fight for survival are. The themes are personified ten-fold in the eye of cinematographer Piers McGrail, who captures the film’s richness in all its glory and deceit.
Nick Rowland’s feature impresses at every turn. In its simplistic output and story-driven approach, Calm With Horses is an eye-opening and engaging drama with a stunning set of performances layered in a touching and poignant drama.
