The Irish film and TV industry has been a weird limbo for the last decade. The runaway success that was Love/Hate was a blessing and a curse - the former for showing that Ireland could deliver quality entertainment outside of the twee 'Oireland' stereotypes that Americans eat up, but the latter for exchanging one stereotype for another. It seems as though every other film or show in Ireland has been a derivative gritty drama about crime, drugs, gangsters, with anything different having to rely on outside funding (Derry Girls, Normal People). But necessity is the mother of invention and while Screen Ireland and RTE are checked out, independent filmmakers are not.
Dublin Crust is a dramedy about Bonehead, a drummer-turned-convict getting released from prison, having turned over a new leaf and wanting to reach out to his former band members to do one last reunion gig. They're all too happy to oblige - since singer Eddie has just been fired from a soul sucking retail job, bassist Terrence has a restraining order against him by his ex, and guitarist Andy is reduced to selling cars for a horrifically embarrassing boss (played to perfection by William Morgan). What follows is a charming tale that avoids the worst clichés of band movies and redemption stories, and the familiar tropes we see are used knowing why they work.
The film is anchored by a gripping lead performance from Baz Black, who also wrote and directed, confirming what a triple threat he is. Given his tattooed face and torso, he's frequently typecast as generic thugs and villains, but directs himself against type here in a softer, more comedic and at times heart-breaking turn. He gives both a fine performance and the heart a film like this needs. Also lending authenticity to the proceedings is his background as a drummer - the film is loosely inspired by his time in a punk band back in the day. Likewise, his real-life bandmates Eddie Nil and Andrew Byrne play essentially fictionalised versions of themselves. Joe Rooney was not part of the real band but is an experienced bass player too.
In fact, Eddie Nil had never acted before, and yet plays his significant role so effortlessly and naturalistically you would think his experience was equal to that of his singing. Andy Byrne also is a newcomer to acting and is just as natural, playing the thankless straight man role when paired with William Morgan's Jeremy. Other solid performances abound, with Leanne Bickerdike bringing the screen to life whenever she appears as Bonehead's lively friend and emotional support Tracy, and Louise McCann's subtle yet effective work as Terrence's ex Tania - some of whose scenes may be a bit disconnected from the main plot but with such a gifted actress performing them, it's a minor quibble. If you've seen her guest spot in the series KIN and the short film Vultures, you know she's a star in the making.
The actor who comes close to walking away with the film is Paul Fitzgerald as Mickey Finn, in a magnificent parody of the 'Dublin Skanger' trope; far from begging for drug money, he's a charmingly effective roadie and the only thing he steals is the show. The actor is from Limerick but disappears into the Dublin accent so well that it's quite a start hearing his natural voice in interviews. Rob McCarthy also brings a lot of subtle charisma as the band's shady but endearing manager Gerry, who could have used more screen time, as could Colleen Keogh's captivating work as the not-so-posh executive Lizzy - a Gerry/Lizzy led sequel perhaps? The film is also full of One Scene Wonders like Mike Timms playing a wonderfully pompous judge, Zeff Lawless as a campy radio DJ, Barry John Kinsella as Bonehead's former partner/scumbag in crime and legendary Irish character actor Aidan O'Sullivan as the most perfect choice to play a priest.
While it was a low-budget shoot and there are a couple of obvious tells in things such as crowd scenes, the result is that you're just left impressed by the innovation and creativity used to make the movie look larger than life, and just like Danny Boyle's low budget breakthrough Trainspotting, you come away from the film seeing a writer/director showing off his potential and being excited about what he'll do next. And you'll surely find yourself searching up Crust's "All That's Gold" to play on repeat for a while.
