''Glassland'' is a 2014 Irish

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

written and directed by Gerard Barrett in his second feature following '' Pilgrim Hill''. The film stars

Jack Reynor Jack Reynor (born 23 January 1992) is an Irish-American actor. His notable roles include the films '' What Richard Did'', '' Transformers: Age of Extinction'', ''Glassland'', ''Macbeth'', '' Sing Street'', and ''Midsommar'', as well as the seri ...

as a young man who tries to help his mother (

Toni Collette Toni Collette Galafassi (born Toni Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, producer, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades throughout her career, inclu ...

) with her alcoholism.

Plot

John is a cash-strapped taxi driver in Dublin, who lives with his mother, Jean, who is drinking herself to death. He finds her comatose in her own vomit and drives her to the hospital where she recuperates until her next bout of drunkenness. John spends his time trying to get more work driving, hanging out with his one mate, arguing with his mother about alcohol, taxiing prostitutes, and palling with his younger brother, who has

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

and lives in a home with other disabled kids. John rids his house of alcohol and tries to convince his mother to stop drinking but she screams at him and smashes the plates as he impassively videos her rampage. After fearfully searching around town for his mother, he finds her drunk on the doorstep. Not knowing what else to do with her, he invites her to party with him and watches emotionless as she drinks and dances in the kitchen. She confides in him that when John's younger brother was born disabled, their father left, and she always saw the child as less than human, and nothing but a drain on her. But she says John was her precious child, who always came looking for her. After her husband left, she felt destined to be utterly alone the rest of her life, until she found alcohol. John convinces her to enter a treatment centre, by screaming at her that she is breaking his heart and he can't take it anymore. He shows her the video of her raging for alcohol. The free centre can only keep her for one week, but the concerned director finds a place at a private clinic with a fee of 8,000 euros. Desperate, John calls his boss to ask for an advance, agreeing to do his bidding. John drives his mate, Shane to the airport to leave the country, but on the way has arranged for him to have a cathartic meeting with his young son whom he almost never gets to see. Then John and Shane say a tearful goodbye at the airport. John visits his mother at the new centre, along with his brother, and the mother makes an emotional connection with him. John's boss tells him to pick up something delicate for him. He drives to a desolate house where he finds a young Asian woman, abused and delirious in a bathtub. Disturbed and perplexed, he ends up driving her to the director of the treatment centre to get her help.

Cast

as John *

as Jean *

Will Poulter William Jack Poulter (born 28 January 1993) is a British actor. He first gained recognition for his role as Eustace Scrubb in the fantasy adventure film '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' (2010). He received critical ...

as Shane *

Michael Smiley Michael Smiley (born 1963) is a Northern Irish comedian and actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the films ''Kill List'' (2011) and ''The Lobster'' (2015). Early life Smiley was born in 1963 in Belfast and grew up in Holywood with ...

as Jim * Darine Ní Dhonnchadha as Bridie * Gary Ó'Nualláin as Frank

Release

''Glassland'' was released theatrically in Ireland and the United Kingdom on 17 April 2015.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Glassland 2014 films 2014 drama films Irish drama films English-language Irish films Films set in Ireland Films shot in Ireland Films directed by Gerard Barrett 2010s English-language films English-language drama films