Beyond the Fire

A well made and well filmed account of the relationship between a devout ex priest, Sheamy and a trendy female band manager Katy,it lacked an existential edge and was too well rounded and glib in some way. Awkward moments abound where the couple seemed to be too old for the courtship scenes in the clubs and bars of Liverpool. Other strangely inappropriate scenes include the main female character teaching Sheamy about sex by drawing a diagram of a vagina and stilted dialogue were at kilter with the sophisticated appearance of both characters with their post punk Portishead scene clothes. I have never seen a recently defrocked priest look so cool and leathery with a double tat of angel wings. It's a bit of a female fantasy number, Thorn Birds not withstanding. The film is about traumatic abuse and forgiveness as well as sex and passion as a healing tool. The sex scenes are well acted and filmed and convey a loving chemistry between the couple. I don't want to spoil the story but the forgiveness of abuse was a bit hard to swallow and certain statistics at the end of the film focused on Catholic abuse of minors and not also rape, which was more than a bit annoying for a female viewer.