You're Ugly Too: "An unconventional double act."
By Eva Griffin | Jul 24 2015
Title: You’re Ugly TooDirector: Mark NoonanStarring: Aidan Gillen, Lauren Kinsella, Erika Sainte, George PistereanuRelease date: July 24th 2015It’s always a treat to see a young actor hold their own on screen. As one half of the unconventional double act forming the nucleus in You’re Ugly Too, Lauren Kinsella shines as the whip smart, foul-mouthed Stacey. Orphaned after the death of her mother, the 11 year-old is put in the care of her long-absent uncle, Will (Aidan Gillen), released from prison on compassionate leave for the sole purpose of becoming her guardian.As Irish writer-director Mark Noonan’s first feature film, You’re Ugly Too highlights his skill for crafting a natural environment to nurture authentic chemistry. With a delicate hand, Noonan guides the makeshift family through a soberly realistic narrative. The dialogue between Kinsella and Gillen is typically Irish; marked by distinctive quirks, dark humour and, of course, the occasional expletive.Eliciting frequent chuckles from Irish audiences should prove an easy task when much of the conversation sounds familiar. Every word feels spontaneous, giving the sense that ad-libbing proved a useful tool. It’s refreshing to watch a film and briefly forget that what you’re hearing is learned rote from a script.Arising from the believable dialogue is the cautious but ultimately heart-warming relationship that grows hesitantly between child and surrogate father. Thrown together but carefully forming a connection, each peaks around the wall long placed between them to find a way around their shared sense of loss. Short humorous scenes interject the plot as it slowly moves across the scenic Irish midlands. Idyllic shots of the soulful countryside are awash, as the characters are stuck in limbo both in scenic and personal terms, surrounded by an open space but unsure what to fill it with. The desolate beauty of a caravan park in winter is poignant and perhaps overused for aesthetic andsymbolic terms, but proves a suitable backdrop nonetheless.An emotive acoustic soundtrack courtesy of David Geraghty sets the tone for muted Irish sadness from the first scene to the last. The understated music complements a script that is more character study than straight-forward narrative. Carefully avoiding the temptation to dump all information onto the audience’s lap, Noonan appreciates the significance of the unsaid and the depth of silence. The actors are given room to show true vulnerability. Gillen is skilled in his ability to afford an unexpected likeability to the rough-edged Will, while Sainte lends warmth to the screen, brightening the washed-out palette of the scenery. Ultimately, it’s Kinsella who will steal your heart with her nuanced performance as a ‘troubled’ child not to blame for her difficulties. The combination of a talented cast, an affecting script and thoughtful cinematography renders the film’s positive reception at the Berlinale and winnings at the Galway Film Fleadh unsurprising.In A Nutshell: Ambling through this snapshot of life, the focus is on the difficulty in forming meaningful relationships when words fail, with an emotional subject matter upheld by truthful performances.