Beyond The Fire - Review
Review by Jack Foley
IT’S billed as a provocative love story but that feels like a bit of an understatement given Beyond The Fire‘s themes of rape and abuse by the clergy.
Rather, Maeve Murphy’s film is an ambitious undertaking that tackles difficult issues in a sensitive manner, but which ultimately falls short of achieving its objectives.
Sheamy (Scot Williams) is an ex-priest freshly released from prison who heads to London to hook up with his old mentor, Father Brendan. Unable to track him down, he turns to folk singer Rory (Chris O’Neil) who, in turn, introduces him to his flat-mate and concert promote Katie (Cara Seymour).
Sheamy and Katie develop an immediate attraction but soon discover that both are concealing dark secrets that threaten to end things before they can get going.
Murphy’s film, though weighty in subject matter, manages to avoid feeling too heavy-handed and retains a sense of optimism throughout.
Yet, at the same time – and given its 78 minute running time – the tone shifts wildly between romantic drama, angst-ridden morality play and intense character study.
Katie is a rape survivor struggling to move on and rediscover her sexuality, while Sheamy was abused by a priest at the age of 10.
Together, they share an empathy for each other, though not necessarily the same determination to overcome their demons.
Performance-wise, the film demands a lot that its cast cannot always deliver. Williams, in particular, fails to convince entirely, while O’Neil’s few short scenes as Katie’s brother-like best friend are under-developed and a little too reactionary.
Seymour brings a believable mix of vulnerability and determination to the role of Katie and is the film’s standout star, but even she is occasionally left wanting by the shifting tone of Murphy’s direction and screenplay.
An ending that’s both deliberately ambiguous as well as typically provocative may not sit well with certain sections of the audience, either, and could be mis-interpreted too.
So, while Murphy’s ambition is massive and her sense of restraint a welcome relief at a time when most films are content to almost revel in the perversions they’re depicting, Beyond The Fire doesn’t quite convince on a lot of the levels it’s seeking. But that’s not for the want of trying.
Certificate: 15
Running time: 78mins
UK Release Date: June 19, 2009