''Red Roses and Petrol'' is a 2003 American

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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

based on the

stage play A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than mere reading. The creator of a play is known as a playwright. Plays are staged at various levels, ranging ...

of the same name by

Joseph O'Connor Joseph Victor O'Connor (born 20 September 1963) is an Irish novelist. His 2002 historical novel '' Star of the Sea'' was an international number one bestseller. Before success as an author, he was a journalist with the '' Sunday Tribune'' newspa ...

. The film was directed by

Tamar Simon Hoffs Tamar Simon Hoffs (née Tamar Ruth Simon; October 23, 1934) is an American filmmaker, best known for directing the indie films ''Red Roses and Petrol'' (2003) and ''Pound of Flesh'' (2009), both starring Malcolm McDowell. She is the mother of Sus ...

, and stars

Malcolm McDowell Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is an English actor. He first became known for portraying Mick Travis in Lindsay Anderson's ''if....'' (1968), a role he later reprised in ''O Lucky Man!'' (1973) and ''Britannia Hospital ...

and

Max Beesley Maxton Gig Beesley Jr. (born 16 April 1971) is an English actor and musician. His television and film credits include ''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'' (1997), '' The Match'' (1999), ''Hotel'' (2001), '' Kill Me Later'' (2001), '' The ...

. It was released, on DVD, in 2008.

Plot

Amid a haze of cigarette smoke and uneaten food, the family of Enda Doyle (

) gathers in Dublin for his wake. A university librarian, poet, and complicated man, he has left behind a trail of unresolved issues, a

dysfunctional family In psychology, abnormality (also dysfunctional behavior, maladaptive behavior, or deviant behavior) is a behavioral characteristic assigned to those with conditions that are regarded as dysfunctional. Behavior is considered to be abnormal when i ...

, and a disturbing mystery. Red Roses and Petrol, a darkly comic feature film by director Tamar Simon Hoffs, explores the emotional twists and turns of familial relationships. Enda's dazed widow, Moya ( Olivia Tracey), anxiously prepares for the next day's funeral with her still stuck-at-home, twenty-something daughter Medbh (Maeve) (

Heather Juergensen Heather Julia Juergensen (born January 2, 1970) is an American actress and writer. Life and career Juergensen was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1987. Soon after, she began writing and performi ...

), lending a loving hand. Moya's desperation to keep her family together and Medbh's sharp tongue provide the backdrop for the arrival from New York of headstrong older sister Catherine (

Susan Lynch Susan Lynch (born 1971) is an actress from Northern Ireland. She is known for her role in the 2003 film '' 16 Years of Alcohol''. Her other film appearances include '' Waking Ned Devine'' (1998), '' Nora'' (2000), '' Beautiful Creatures'' (200 ...

), with her handsome but awkward boyfriend Tom ( Greg Ellis) in tow. They doubt that London-based Johnny (

), the angry black sheep brother of the family, will appear at all. Sorting through boxes of Enda's books, the women discover a cache of self-recorded video diaries that might shed light on who Enda Doyle really was, and some of the secrets of his life that he was never able to share with them. At the funeral, the daughters see a distraught young woman from the university, Helen (

Catherine Farrell Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Christian sa ...

), rumored to be having an affair with Enda. They're stunned that she would show up so brazenly at a family gathering for the deceased Enda. Returning home, they find Johnny emerging half-naked from the shower, after a quick tryst with a stewardess he met on his flight from London. A brilliant, wounded slacker, Johnny manages to irritate everyone to the edge of violence with his biting and sarcastic recall of the family's long-buried memories. Johnny's confrontational behavior and bitter assessment of life with his father, incite the clan into what can only be called unchecked family therapy. Throughout the ensuing arguments, which reach a fevered pitch as the family gets inebriated waiting for guests to arrive for the wake, we learn about the powerful and ambiguous force that was Enda Doyle. Finally, Catherine cannot contain herself and accuses Moya of being blind to her husband's infidelity and by extension causing great harm to herself and her children. In a surprising twist, Enda's own videotapes give the family the answers they returned home to find.

Cast

Awards

The film won first prize at the

Avignon Film Festival {{unreferenced, date=November 2021 The Avignon Film Festival (created 1984), also known as the Avignon/New York Film Festival or Rencontres Cinématographiques Franco-Américain d'Avignon, took place every year in Avignon, France along with a twin ...

, was runner-up at the Westwood Film Festival, and received recognition at the

Deauville Film Festival The Deauville American Film Festival () is a yearly film festival devoted to American cinema, which has taken place since 1975 in Deauville, France. It was established by Lionel Chouchan, André Halimi, and then Mayor of Deauville Michel d ...

AFI AFI may refer to: * Actual flip-angle imaging, a type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2017 album), the tenth ...

Fest, the Boston Irish Film Festival, the

Newport Beach Film Festival The Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) is an annual film festival in Newport Beach, California, typically held in late April. In 2022, it was announced that the festival had permanently changed its date to be held in October, as the festival bega ...

, the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

circuit, and the

Palm Springs Film Festival Palm Springs International Film Festival (sometimes stylized shortly as PSIFF) is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. Originally promoted by Mayor Sonny Bono and then sponsored by Nortel,here for Table of Contents it started in 1989 ...

Soundtrack

Songs for the film are by

Flogging Molly Flogging Molly is an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk band formed in Los Angeles in 1997, led by Irish vocalist Dave King, formerly of the hard rock band Fastway. They are signed to their own record label, Borstal Beat Records. Histor ...

and the director's daughter

Susanna Hoffs Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actress. With Debbi Peterson and Vicki Peterson, she founded the Bangles in 1981. Their debut album, ''All Over the Place (The Bangles album), All Over ...

, with original music by Seth Podowitz. As listed in the movie credits (not necessarily on the soundtrack): *

- "If I Ever Leave This World Alive" *

- "The Water Is Wide" (Irish Mix) * Flogging Molly - "Salty Dog" * Flogging Molly - Drunken Lullabies" * Flogging Molly - "Devils Dance Floor" * Susanna Hoffs - "

Catch the Wind "Catch the Wind" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. Pye Records released "Catch the Wind" backed with "Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do?" as Donovan's debut release (Pye 7N.15801) in the United Kingdom on 28 ...

", written by

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer. He emerged from the British folk scene in early 1965 and subsequently scored multiple international hit singles ...

* Flogging Molly - "The Worst Day Since Yesterday" * Flogging Molly - "The Likes of You Again"

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{Citation , first1 = Jeannette , last1 = Catsoulis , title = One Gloomy Family , work = The New York Times , date = June 27, 2008 , url = https://movies.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/movies/27petr.html?ref=arts&_r=0 , accessdate= 2013-03-08 , postscript= .

External links

Red Roses and Petrol Official Site

Red Roses and Petrol at the Internet Movie Database

Red Roses and Petrol Interview 2008
at The213.net

at The Irish Examiner USA 2003 films 2003 drama films American films based on plays Films directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs Films set in Ireland Films about families Films about writers 2000s English-language films