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‘Bring Them Down’ Film Review
A Grim Rural Drama Showcasing Great Irish Acting Performances and Raw Cinematography
Film: Bring Them Down. Year: 2024. Genre: Psychological thriller/Drama/Thriller Director: Christopher Andrews
For his directional debut, Bring Them Down, Christopher Andrews takes you to the most isolated village in western Ireland he can find. While the Irish landscapes are well-known for their beauty, quietness and serenity, the script, co-written by Andrew and Jonathan Hourigan (At the Door of the House, Who Will Come Knocking), certainly isn’t as it centres around lifelong abuse, blood-filled com quarrels between two farming clans and violent cycle of revenge and retaliation.
Andrews drags you into that dark, claustrophobic and violent world of Michael — played by the superb Christopher Abbott — straight from the beginning. For Michael, life has nothing more to offer than tending to his sheep, caring for his bitter and hot-tempered father, Ray (Colm Meaney), and sleeping. The Irish landscape surrounding him has no secret for Michael as he’s either on the farm or riding alongside the remote roads to sell his sheep.
The weight of his past traumas — including the death of his mother and the separation from his wife — is already extremely heavy, and it becomes even a bigger…