THE HONEYMOONERS
Ireland, 2003, 90 minutes, Colour.
Jonathan Byrne, Alex Reid, Justine Mitchell, Conor Mullen, David Nolan.
Directed by Karl Golden.
While the situation might not be particularly new: jilted groom meets girl disappointed in love; they clash, they fall in love; this brief film, however, has a number of things going for it to make it interesting and entertaining.
It was shot digitally with hand-held camera (for budget reasons or for aesthetic reasons or both). This gives it a rough and grainy look, like a film made up of home movies.
But it is the performances which count. Jonathan Byrne (David) makes you feel sorry for him at having been left standing at the altar - but he can also be exasperatingly morose and ungratefully insensitive to Alex Reid (Claire), moods going up and down all the time. Not that Claire is really any better. She starts morose, continues insensitive but eventually makes you feel sorry for her too.
The title is ironic. Claire drives David to the holiday house in Donegal which is a wedding present from his parents. She finds herself glad to be away from Dublin and wants to stay. David wants her to go. Over a couple of days we see them clash, apologise, have some happy moments before they clash again. Meantime they do not realise that they are falling in love. But they have to face their showdowns with their former partners. Besides that there are some eccentric locals who may not do all that much for
Donegal tourism.
By the end, you feel you have got to know David and Claire.
1. The impact of the film? A two-hander? The visual style, digital video, hand-held? Low-budget? The edge of the look of home movies?
2. Dublin and Donegal, the city and the coast, the farmhouses and the countryside? The musical score, songs, the Fats Waller songs?
3. The title and its irony?
4. The plausibility of the basic situation: the husband-to-be jilted, his reaction, the young woman having an affair with a married man, her disappointment at his not leaving his wife? The chance meeting of the two, her driving him to Donegal? Her wanting to stay for some days and taking the spark plug? He wanting to be alone? Their clashes, their warming to one another, the harsh words said to each other? Fixing the car, going to the bus station, the invitation to lunch by the husband and wife? The continued clashes, the married man's arrival and his attack on the groom? The brawl in the pub? The arrival of the fiancee, the revelation of the truth? The finale - with its touch of The Graduate and other films of grooms running after women? The seriousness, the humour?
5. The portrait of David: at the beginning, his wedding day, his nervousness, spilling the drink, changing trousers (thus giving the cue for the later letter)? In the church, the jokes of the priest about late brides? The mobile phone call? His going to the garage, the discussions with Fiona? His going off, getting drunk and falling asleep at the airport, clashing with the attendant? The meeting with Claire, asking her to drive him? The drive, the bargaining about the price, giving her the ring? The arrival at the farmhouse, her staying the night? His wanting to start the car, his injury and sprain and her looking after it? The next day, friendly, clashes, the picnic on the cliffside? Insulting each other? The night, her inviting him to dance, the whisky, his collapse, the antagonism? The taking her to the bus station, the meeting with Larry, the insistence that they go for lunch? The water bed and Larry's reaction, his running away? The continued clashing, Claire throwing away the keys, his being stranded, finding the keys? The house, Peter's arrival, Peter punching him and hurting his hand? The antagonism about the wedding dress? The going into the house, their talk, getting closer, honest with each other, spending the night? The next morning, Claire going to buy the breakfast, Fiona's arrival, the confrontation, the truth about her behaviour, her dismissing Claire, his listening, Ben's letter? His decision to break off with Fiona, getting in the car, pursuing the wrong bus, the reconciliation with Claire? A future?
6. Claire, her relationship with Peter, her birthday, her prickliness, challenging him? Going to work, impatient, spilling the drink on the customer on the mobile phone? Taking the money, being dismissed? Encountering David, the initial clash, the agreement, driving him? The farmhouse, wanting to stay away? The phone calls to Peter? Her rudeness to David, her taking the spark plug? Cooking the dinner? The friendship, yet broken every time by her rude words and his criticism of her? The night, dancing, his collapse? Her wanting Peter to come and get her? The bus station after fixing the car, the lunch, her putting on Mary's wedding dress, running away? The encounter with Peter, his punch? The reconciliation with David, the night? Going to get the breakfast? Her return, summing up the situation, the issue of the ring? Her leaving, seeing David from the bus, the reconciliation - and throwing away the ring?
7. Fiona, in the car with her father, getting out, the cigarette, the phone call, the talk with David at the service station? David's explanation of her and the relationship? Her wanting to get married? Her coming to the house, the confrontation, the ring, giving Claire the cheque? The truth about her relationship with her ex-boyfriend? David leaving her?
8. Ben, David's best friend, the changing the trousers, relying on him to give the news at the wedding breakfast after his going back and his inability to speak? Ben bringing Fiona, the note, the truth?
9. Peter, his relationship with Claire, his wife and children, his not being able to leave? The phone calls, his coming, punching David and hurting his hand? Claire telling him to go back to his family?
10. Larry, his hearing about the mad old man accusing David of being a robber after David went to get help? His inviting Claire and David to lunch, the water bed and his proposition? His angers? Taunting David about wearing his wife's clothes?
11. The minor characters, the wedding guests, the church? Flight attendants, restaurant owners, pubs? The mad old man? The people in the pub and the brawl?
12. The effect of the hand-held camera, the digital photography, giving a sense of ordinariness more intimacy than a glossy production?
