MSPIFF:Going in blind

Last night I walked into a movie I knew next to nothing about and walked out a better person for it. It was the quintessential film festival experience.

The film in question was "Kings" and the one thing I knew about it was it stars Colm Meany.

It turns out the film is set in London and almost entirely in Irish. It's the story of a group of middle-aged men who meet for the wake of an old friend who died in an accident. They all came over from Ireland as teenagers and life has treated them quite differently. They had sworn only to speak Gaelic to each other and their cry was always 'All for one, and one for all."

Yet as the evening progresses and the drink flows some dark realities float to the surface.

It's an exploration of the Celtic male experience, replete with the myths and legends of bravado and loyalty, and constantly undermined by poverty, and booze.

Based on the stage play "Kings of the Kilburn High Road" by Jimmy Murphy, director Tom Collins script wrings the best out of the story, and some magnificent acting by his cast. You won't leave this one singing 'Danny Boy.'