In this intimate exploration of identity, trauma, and power, a young woman seeks out her birth mother, inadvertently triggering a string of events that change both their lives.
Every once in a while, you come across a film that appears to tick all of the boxes. It explores a dark or controversial topic, it avoids unnatural lighting and exuberant cinematography, it prefers to utilize silence over dialogue, in fact from a critic's point of view, Rose Plays Julie would be an ideal dramatic film. When you look at the film outside of the lens of judging it on the quality of its parts, you quickly realize that the effect of the parts combined doesn't create something spectacular. Not even on par. Rose Plays Julie has everything it needs, but a critical element turns what should have been a classic, into a bore.
The premise of the film has solid dramatic foundations with a journey of self-identity; a search for her birth parents. An unexpected piece of information knocks the film off of its tracks and sends it off on a tangent away from drama, towards the crime and thriller genres. It never quite makes it there, however, with the pacing coming across like a game of golf; moments of energy separated by long periods of silence.
From a cinematography perspective, the film is well-composed, with slow push-ins and push-backs highlighting the emotional cues of the script. The use of natural lighting (or lack thereof, in many cases) and cold colour-palette give the film a grounded and authentic atmosphere, which turns eerie considering the subject matter.
The issues with the film come from one element though; the casting. Our main protagonist (played by Ann Skelly) simply lacks any form of charisma or emotional content. Rose lives in a state of shock, rarely closing her mouth, and spends so much time staring into nothingness, that it creates a dull and repetitive feel that garners diminishing returns as the cinematographer pushes in and pulls back again and again. In a world that is largely devoid of people, where the streets are empty and the buildings unused, the personality and charm of the film relies entirely on the personality and charm of the acting team.
The film is so full of supposed emotional contemplation that it completely stalls any attempt at developing its protagonist. In fact, the film isn't even about Rose (or Julie), the story revolves around her mother, Ellen (played by Orla Brady). Rose doesn't even get a resolution to her identity crisis. Brady is the emotional anchor of the film, around which the entire film's plot revolves around, whose performance is the shining beacon of hope in the entire 100-minute runtime. Casting woes continue with the casting of Aidan Gillen. Anyone of the millions of people who have seen his performance in Game Of Thrones will struggle to hide their lack of surprise as to his role in the film. Realistically a poor choice for the role, when the actor has been so heavily typecast.
The premise is dark, uncomfortable, and unsettling, but the exploration of the topic leaves a lot to be desired. With one-note characters, the direction of the film is predictable, with extended moments of contemplation falling on deaf ears when the moment provides nothing for the audience to ponder. the film takes three different types of people with unique forms of alter egos and then proceeds to do little with them. If you enjoy slow films, this could be worth a watch for Brady's performance alone, but if a lack of pacing is a deal-breaker, then it may pay to give this a miss.
Rose Plays Julie is in cinemas from December 9, 2021