TURNING GREEN is an interesting title for this well made film about an American boy surviving in Ireland. Written and directed by Michael Aimette and John G. Hoffman the story takes place in the 1970s in a little town in Ireland. 16-year-old James Powers (Donal Gallery, a very promising new actor on the screen) and his little brother Pete (Killian Morgan, also a find) are of Irish ancestry but were born in the United States. When their mother dies they are sent to Ireland to live with their three 'heinous aunts' - Aunt Nora (Brid Ni Chionaola), Aunt Maggie (Deirdre Monaghan) and Aunt Mary (Billie Traynor) - who keep a tight fist on the boys and disrupt the only pleasure James has, that of extended onanism with the door to the loo locked. James and Pete want to go back to America. Their only real friend is Tom (Colm Meany), but they are bonded to Bill the Bookie (Alessandro Nivola) to make money: they collect bets on dog racing for Bill. Bill's assistant Bill the Breaker (Timothy Hutton) is the cruel one who beats up insolvent debtors and keeps the boys frightened enough to stay in line.
James and Pete are sent to London by their Aunts to see if James has a physical problem that keeps him in a locked loo so much of the time. In London they encounter a magazine salesman who specializes in girlie magazines, illegal in Ireland. James works out a deal to sell the magazines when he returns to Ireland and both James and Pete do very well in their new business. But Bill the Bookie catches on to their secret manner of making money and the results of this discovery changes the lives of James and Pete and others - but not an end to James' compulsion to go back to America.
The story is brief but the acting by all concerned is absolutely first rate. Donal Gallery is a very fine young actor and manages to make us not only believe in the character he has created but to also to root for his success. He balances humor with fear and anger in a well- considered way. Nivola and Hutton continue to impress as first-rate actors and the supporting cast is rich in cherishable characters. The intoxicating musical score is by Pull and the scenery of Ireland has never seemed so beautiful. This is a fine little independent film that deserves a lot of attention.
Grady Harp
