Dublin Oldschool is a 2018 film starring Emmet Kirwan, Ian Lloyd Anderson, Seana Kerslake and Sarah Greene The film was directed by Dave Tynan and is based on a play originally written by Emmet Kirwan that debuted in 2014.
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Plot
Jason is an aspiring DJ in Dublin who is addicted to narcotics. He later meets his brother Daniel, an educated heroin addict without a home. The two men reconnect during a weekend. Jason continually runs into his double, who has his phone. He attempts to connect with this seemingly secondary self, but is consistently thwarted in his efforts. At the end of the play, time doubles back on itself, and Jason seems to be reliving the day again.
Play
The play premiered in 2014. Both Kirwan and Anderson prefer acting on stage than acting in a film. It won the Best Fringe Performers Award at the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival. The play was shown at the Project Arts Centre twice. The stage version was characterized by a highly physical stage presence, an almost complete lack of set, and the use of lighting to denote changes in space and time.
Paul Taylor, writing for The Independent gave a positive review of its 2017 run at the National Theatre in London saying, "Emmet Kirwan's two-hander, starring himself as Jason, a wannabe DJ and Ian Lloyd Anderson, as his long-lost drug addict brother, is highly charged theatre."
Michael Billington of The Guardian gave a negative review of the same run at the National Theatre saying, "If Kirwan can harness his verbal power, he may yet write a play that offers more than a sensory impression."
Film release
The film was released on 29 June 2018 in Ireland theatres. The play's writer, Emmet Kirwan, plays the role of Jason and Ian Lloyd Anderson plays the role of Daniel. It is directed by Dave Tynan. The film expands on the two character play with added characters including Sarah Greene as Jason's friend Lisa and Seana Kerslake as Jason's former girlfriend. Kirwan stated he hopes that the film will foster awareness of the homeless and drug addicts. Screen Ireland and Windmill Lane Pictures helped with the production. The film was released on DVD and on demand on 9 November 2018 in Ireland and on 11 November 2018 in the United Kingdom.
Paul Whitington of the Irish Independent gave the film a negative review that states, "Tynan's film is laden down with aimless chatter, and its plot meanders drearily towards a country rave that seems curiously old-fashioned, and feels like a piece of Dublin's past, not its present."
Film cast
Calum Jess as Young Jason
Malcolm Denby as Young Daniel
Emmet Kirwan as Jason
Ryan Farrell as Young Boy
Libby Conway Dunne as Young Girl
Stephen Jones as Bobby
Liam Heslin as Dave the Rave
Ciaran Grace as Glen
Mark O'Halloran as Bates
Ian Lloyd Anderson as Daniel
Mark O'Rowe as Man with Cat
Sarah Greene as Lisa
Leah Minto as Aisling
Aaron Heffernan as Aaron
Seána Kerslake as Gemma