A study of a terrible secret festering within an already shattered Irish family, The Sparrow marks the feature debut of writer-director Michael Kinirons and the arrival of star Ollie West. The evidence in this dark drama says we'll be hearing more about both.
West plays Kevin, a teenage misfit trying to make sense of the world following the death of his mother in a car accident. At home are his cadet school-bound older brother (Éanna Hardwicke), younger sister (Michelle Gleeson), and former-soldier father (David O'Hara). Dad's contempt for his middle child - "You can't just be normal, can you?" - is as constant as it is cruel.
Backdrop set, Kevin's world is turned upside down again early in the film - a shocking reminder to the audience of how life can change in an instant.
As the watcher and wanderer at the heart of this story, West delivers in his first big-screen role - plenty to work with but never overdoing it. The man behind the lens, meanwhile - a Best First Feature winner at the Galway Film Fleadh - proves adept at depicting the saying-too-little-said-too-much dynamic that ravages many a father-son relationship.
The metaphor involving the wounded bird of the film's title is laboured, but overall this is a job well done and a fine showcase of acting talent right across a cast. As far from a summer movie as you can find, if that's what you're trying to find.
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