Day of the Flowers.

Director:	John Roberts
Country:	UK
Year:	2012
Running Time:	100 mins
Principle Cast:	Eva Birthistle	Rose
	Charity Wakefield	Allie
	Carlos Acosta	Tomas
	Bryan Dick	Conway
	Christopher Simpson	Ernesto

Two young, strong-willed Glaswegian sisters Rose a left-wing activist, and Allie a fashion icon, steal their fathers ashes during his funeral wake, much to the obvious displeasure of their stepmother! The reason for this is to transport them to Cuba where it is alleged their parents were at their happiest helping and supporting Cuba’s socialist revolution. When the sisters arrive in a hot and chaotic Havana, accompanied by Rose’s kilted friend and colleague Conway, the ashes are confiscated by the local police. Many misadventures follow including meeting two local Cuban men, one they can trust and one they can’t?

 

Allie and her sister Rose.

The tag line for this film probably sums up its narrative ‘some travel light, others carry excess baggage’. The story centers mainly on Rose who certainly carries a lot of emotional baggage, where as her sister carries a lot of physical baggage including an electric toaster! (Your just have to see the film for this to be explained) Based loosely on her own experiences its written by screenwriter Eirene Houston who explained at the films World Premiere that the two sisters are based on of her own split personality and was encouraged to write the story because of her love of road movies.

 

Star of the Cuban Ballet Carlos Acosta.

John Roberts’s film is the first UK film to be made in Cuba for some years and uses a lot of local crew and extras but the most famous Cuban national to appear in the film was Carlos Acosta a Cuban ballet dancer who has danced with many companies including English National Ballet. The DoP, who was also in attendance at the film premiere, informed the audience that his task was made easier by the beautifully natural backgrounds found in that country. Eirene script for this independent film took nearly three years to complete before filming could start, the only real problem that was encountered during the shoot was the Cuban weather, which was exceptional hot and wet.

 

John Roberts, Eirene Houston and the DoP at EIFF 2012.

Although the film deals with ‘cross-cultural misunderstandings and lost illusions’ it should not be taken to seriously, Carla’s Song (1996) it’s not, but I would recommend this film for its wonderful entertainment value.

Borstal Boy.

The Novel.

From the front of the DVD for Borstal Boy (2002) you would imagine that the film inside starred Danny Dyer in a remake of a Scum type film involving copious amounts of gratuitous violence with prison hard men handing out beatings by the dozen.  Well surprise surprise Mr Dyer is only the supporting actor and the film is a romantic drama, admittedly set in a borstal, but adapted from the great Irish poet, novelist and playwright Brendan Behan’s autobiographical novel of the same name.

At the age of 14 in 1937 Behan became a member of Fianna Fireann, the youth organisation of the Irish Republican Army. In 1941 he joined the IRA and embarked on an unauthorised solo mission to England to blow up Liverpool docks. He was arrested as he disembarked and found in possession of explosives. Behan was sentenced to three years in Hollesley Bay Borstal in Suffolk England. It’s this period in Borstal that the film deals with. The story shows how the stanch Irish Republican’s hatred of the English gradually changes and his appetite for violence diminishes as he is forced to live face to face with those he originally perceived as ‘the enemy’. Although at the heart of the film is how Behan fell in love with the both the prison governors’ artistic daughter, who encouraged the future bard to read Oscar Wilde, and the gay seaman Charlie Millwall. 

This UK/Irish production is an intelligent reflection about how people’s strong emotions can be affected by enforced circumstances and by those around you. Peter Sheridan commendable directorial debut, he also had a hand in the screenplay, was filmed entirely in Ireland. American actor Shawn Hatosy makes a creditable job of playing Brendan Behan and his Irish accent. But the biggest surprise is how well Danny Dyer performs the role of the gay seaman Charlie Millwall it’s got to be the bravest role of his career. Eva Birthistle, who went on to play Roisin an Irish Catholic music teacher who fall in love with the son of a devout Glaswegian Muslim family in Ken Loach’s 2004 drama Ae Fond Kiss, plays Liz Joyce the liberal governors’ daughter. Her father is played by Michael York. I would also commend the period detail and the use of Movietone newsreels to give a sense of time. Certainly a film worth your attention.

DVD Cover.

Film Poster.