British St. Patrick’s Day movies
What comes to mind when St Patrick’s Day festival is mentioned?
Most people think of downing down a pint of Guinness, parades and lots of green. To some, it’s the day to celebrate Ireland’s rich culture, art and tradition. However, there’s more to St Patrick’s Day history than dyed rivers and green cocktails.
St Patrick’s holiday started to honour a man known as Patrick for his dedication to converting Irish people into Christians. However, the holiday expanded over the years to celebrate both the man and Ireland as a whole. Because of the different meaning attached to the holiday, there are many St Patrick’s Day films created by British producers that you can enjoy this year with your family.
*Infographic obtained from Betway’s Blog
Brooklyn
A 2015 romantic film based on Colm Toibin’s novel, Brooklyn tells the story of Eilis, a young woman motivated to cross the Atlantic to reach America. An open, bright and industrious young woman, Ellis moves to Brooklyn in search of more opportunities beyond her small Irish town, but she feels terribly homesick. Nonetheless, she settles down, manages to find a job, starts to study bookkeeping and meets a young Italian lad.
Things go well for Eilis in Brooklyn until she decides to temporarily move back home to Ireland after her sister’s death. Eilis hastily marries her Italian man before moving back home alone, but life is only getting started for her. The movie beautifully tells the story of her loneliness, alienation and uncomfortable crossing into her new world.
Flight of the Doves
A British 1971 children film based on a Walter Macken novel, Flight of the Doves, is a great classic to enjoy during St Patrick’s Day. The movie is about two Liverpool children who set out to look for love after years of abuse at the hands of their stepfather, Toby Cromwell.
Toby is an unsuccessful actor with a temper, and he has sole custody of the kids after the death of their mother – who was his wife following the death of their dad. Tired of their step father’s cruelty, the children move to Ireland searching for their Grandma without knowing they’re heirs to their grandpa’s estate. The movie has a sensible comedy element, making it an excellent choice for St Patrick’s Day.
Sing Street
A 2016 comedy-drama movie written by director John Carney, Sing Street tells the story of a boy launching a band to impress an Irish girl in the 80s. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, grossing over $10 million worldwide.
Carney blends the familiar framework of coming to age storyline with whimsy, songs and a touch of romance. Most viewers have compared the movie with the film “The Compliments”, although the only thing that these two movies have in common is that the characters are building music bands in Ireland. However, most people find the paucity of music in these two movies to be very similar.
Hole in the Ground
Hole in the Ground is centred around the story of an Irish single mom, Sarah, living in the countryside with her son and begins to suspect he might not be her child. The single mom tries to escape her broken past, but a terrifying encounter with her mysterious neighbour threatens her fragile security, throwing her in a spiralling nightmare of mistrust and paranoia.
Sarah’s fragile security continues being shattered after she tries to look into disturbing changes that manifest in her little son, connected to a mysterious sinkhole deep in the forest. The movie features elements from Irish folklore like changelings and fairy forts.
In Bruges
A 2008 black comedy crime movie, “In Bruges”, is a Martin McDonagh movie starring Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrel as two Irish contract killers in hiding. The movie is set and filmed in Bruges, Belgium, offering an effective mix of a crime thriller and dark comedy. This UK movie premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, grossing $34.5 million in the box office.
This comedy-crime movie features a great character, a solid story and excellent acting, everything to make your St Patrick’s night fun and to entertain after a long day of fun activities. However, “In Bruges” isn’t for everyone as the movie is unruly, foul-mouthed and with a weird sense of humour, just like it’s characters. Nonetheless, this British crime movie is a great choice for anyone who loves punk-rock pistol opera.
While St Patrick’s Day involves typically watching parades, dying rivers green and drinking beer, most people will have to try something different this year. Fortunately for British movie lovers, there are lots of interesting movies to stream during this holiday. Even better, the popularity of St Patrick’s day has given rise to lots of interesting titles featuring different themes, ranging from science fiction to horror stories and adventure films.