There hasn’t been a good road trip movie, to the best of my knowledge, for a decent length of time. In an even longer period, there hasn’t been a simple, heartfelt buddy road trip film. Normally this kind of film features some improbable shenanigans that seem unrealistic, as if they don’t think the basics are enough to tell a good story.
The Spin is written by Colin Broderick and Mark McCausland and directed by Michael Head. It’s the tale of “Two music-loving but unlikely friends who have two days to travel the length of Ireland to save their record store from closure. For one of them, not having a car is just one of the problems.”
My initial point is just this. This is a film that feels stripped back from the big road trip bluster of other films. It is a simple story of two friends trying to turn around their current misfortunes, but it is a delightful, heartfelt journey through the beauty of Ireland that parallels the wonders, and sometimes tribulations, of a long-term friendship. It features some familiar character tropes that we all think of when we think of Ireland, but none of them seem in any way overblown or cartoonish. They simply are what they are.
And for me, all of that is the utter joy of this film. It is a simple story told well. The writing makes everything feel incredibly real, and every single character feels like someone I can see myself meeting when I eventually get to Ireland. There is a warmth and a joy to the way this story unfolds, so much so that even in moments of tension you never feel that anything is out of place. Nothing I saw, or heard in this film, pulled me out of the story and I was genuinely engrossed throughout.
All of the performances were fabulous, but the two main stars, Brenock O’Connor as Dermot, and Owen Colgan as Elvis, were marvellous. They felt as though they had genuinely known each other for years, and seemed to have the kind of chemistry that any two friends would kill to have. It was like being invited along on their journey as a silent traveller, yet fully feeling a part of everything.
The director, Michael Head of Bermondsey Tales fame, has made one of the most genuine feeling films I have watched in a long time. For me, its feeling of reality is on par with the way I felt watching We Live In Time. Characters that we came to know well, and felt like we had known forever, invited us into their lives and carried us along with them.
Overall, this is a marvellous independent movie that deserves a big audience. It is written, directed and performed so well. It also has a fantastic soundtrack, with one particular song that really stood out for me. Laughs For The Lonely, as performed by Brenock O’Connor during the film, is such a great song that I found myself singing along even though I’d only just heard it. This is getting a 4/5, and a big recommendation to check it out as soon as you are able…
A well written, directed and performed production
Movie title: The Spin (2024)
Movie description: Two music-loving but unlikely friends have two days to travel the length of Ireland to save their record store from closure. For one of them, not having a car is just one of the problems.
Date published: January 17, 2025
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 32m
Director(s): Michael Head
Actor(s): Brenock O'Connor, Leah O'Rourke, Tara Lynne O'Neill
Genre: Comedy
Summary
The director, Michael Head of Bermondsey Tales fame, has made one of the most genuine feeling films I have watched in a long time.
