Since we arrived in Ireland we saw a couple of hilarious dark Irish comedies. They are not for the faint-hearted but if you can stomach the sarcastic views of some violence, scenes of a sexual nature & even racism then you are in for some treats.

Deadly Cuts

I think we might have seen “Deadly Cuts” even before we came to Ireland and it set me up for watching more.

A hairdressing Salon in Belfast must fight for its survival against a gang that wants protection money and a greedy developer. When they take part in a hairdressing competition everything comes to a head.

The actors are great and I loved how the women stand up for themselves and against bullies.

“Hard Times” or “Holy Water”

Originally this film was called “Holy Water” and I do not know why the film was renamed.

A small Irish village with not many prospects for anyone to get anywhere gains popularity when four of its residents steal a delivery of Viagra and drown it in the well.

There seem to be many villages like this here in Ireland which is so sad. Young people looking to get ahead either go to the cities or abroad and this film gives a light-hearted commentary about that.

The Guard

A non-pc Irish and a black American cop need to work together to get a drug delivery intercepted.

There is the conflict already plain in sight. I had trouble to like Brendan Gleeson’s character at times but how he cares for his mum won me over. The tragedy is never far from a laugh in this one.

Pixie

Pixie breaks the hearts of men but tries to get out of Sligo. When a heist goes wrong she sees her chance.

Her dad the leader of a criminal family is played by Colm Meany and any Star Trek fan will love him in this role where he mixes a love for cooking with keeping his son on the straight and narrow.

The Redemption of a Rogue

A man comes back to his hometown where he must face his demons and tries to bury his father whose will it is not to be buried when it rains. Well, you guessed what’s coming…

This is quite a psychedelic film with its bone-dry humor but also tackles the topic of suicide very openly so can be triggering.

We have seen all of them several times and enjoy them greatly despite the triggering elements.

Have you seen any of these films and if so what did you think?

Please stay safe, stay kind, and remember you rock!