Directed by: Christopher Andrews
Distributed by: Mubi
Written by Taylor Baker
60/100
Christopher Andrews’ directorial debut “Bring Them Down” opens with deliberate simplicity—a vehicle navigating a gravel path, dust billowing in its wake as it traverses a seemingly endless driveway in rural Ireland. By the film’s conclusion, we’ve scarcely ventured beyond the confines of this isolated landscape, where two families, bound by tragedy, navigate the treacherous aftermath of an incident that sets neighbor against neighbor.
The narrative centers on Michael (Christopher Abbott), whose father tasks him with resolving a livestock feud that drives the film’s escalating tension. The ensemble cast—featuring Barry Keoghan, Colm Meaney, and Nora-Jane Noone—delivers uniformly adequate performances, though Keoghan’s Jack is a bit hard to take seriously. His portrayal of a petulant late teen/early twentysomething, despite being in his late twenties during filming strains the film’s credibility. Though it certainly worked well on the page.
Andrews effectively utilizes the film’s constrained geography. The repetition of locations, coupled with the authenticity of Irish dialect and the particular dynamics of isolated rural communities where a known theft finds no legal recourse, creates an atmosphere of mounting claustrophobia. The film’s title derives from a pivotal moment when Michael, defying his father Ray’s (Colm Meaney) explicit warnings, brings their flock of rams and sheep down from the hilltop where tradition has kept them for five hundred years.
The narrow scope—both in location and character count—allows Andrews to craft a singularly focused debut that manages to be simple and engaging. While this tightly contained approach serves the material well–even if the casting of Jack did not–one hopes that Andrews, will expand the scope of his narratives in future projects without sacrificing the intensity that made “Bring Them Down” a compelling if flat-footed watch.
“Bring Them Down” Trailer
You can follow more of Taylor’s thoughts on film on Letterboxd, Twitter, and Rotten Tomatoes.