Familienbande (You're Ugly Too)
Ireland 2014

Opening 19 Nov 2015

Directed by: Mark Noonan
Writing credits: Mark Noonan
Principal actors: Aidan Gillen, Lauren Kinsella, Erika Sainte, George Pistereanu

Circumstances beyond their control force adolescent Stacey (Kinsella) and uncle Will (Gillen) together. Testily they verbally push and poke each other’s buttons, while taking up residence in a caravan park in rural Ireland. Almost from the get-go they meet Emilie (Sainte) and husband Tibor (Pistereanu). While enrolling Stacey at school, a chance encounter with Emilie and her son results in her tutoring Stacey. Emilie softens their rough edges, and Tibor helps Will out in more ways than one. Still, Will misses a phone call with his parole officer, while Stacey has an unexpected hospital visit, whereas Emilie follows her own strategy. At the end of the day, for once Stacey and Will agree, “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”

The two principle actors, Lauren Kinsella and Aidan Gillen, give tremendous performances that carry writer-director Mark Noonan’s quiet story. Its one-dimensionality dictates Colin Campbell’s straight cut editing. Enhancing the film’s mood are Tom Comerford’s cinematography and David Geraghty’s music endeavors. Premiering at Berlinale 2015 in the Generations section, most German critics are quite taken with the film. Familienbande is a disquieting interpretation about the levels of estrangement within families. (Marinell Haegelin)