Saw this yesterday at AFI and came away disappointed in this screen adaptation of Dublin playwright Joseph O'Connor's play. There is some good casting, particularly with Malcolm McDowell and Max Beasley - they look like they could be father and son. However, I never felt much chemistry between Malcolm McDowell (Enda) and Olivia Tracy (Moya), and she seemed to be too youthful to be his wife!
This ensemble piece frequently felt like seven characters acting in their own version of this play, with many soliloquies rather than engaging dialogue. The writers burdened their actors with trying to bring life to these 2-dimensional characters. Dialogue or scenes often didn't ring true - like when Enda does his impression of Elvis or when Moya can't explain to her daughter what more there is to marriage.
Scenes were long and empty, almost as if trying to stretch out the limited substance. Character development was shallow and fell short on insight. I don't feel I got the emotional payoff in the end for some of the more intense scenes - instead it felt manipulative. Technically, there were continuity and questionable editing issues, which weakened the movie.
Bottom line - it didn't have a consistent ring of authenticity about it!
