Tonight I went to see the new Irish film called Snap which was filmed in Cork and released last week. I wanted it to be good – and I wasn’t disappointed. It is a powerful film where you find yourself changing your mind about the main character – single mother Sharon (Aisling O’Sullivan) throughout the film. When we meet her at the beginning she is acerbic and antagonistic – but as the film develops – and details become known about the past and more recent events we begin to understand – but don’t worry there’s no Hollywood ending here. O’Sullivan is Oscar brilliant – she owns the film. But the supporting cast is just as good – Eileen Walsh is amazing as Sharon’s brassy friend, Mick Lally, as you have never seen him before – and sadly in his last role (he died in August 2010). Newcomer Stephen Moran shines as the troubled teenager.

For an Irish made movie – Snap has been in The Gate Cinema all this week –  tonight a mere handful turned up to see it. Beside the door of Cinema 3, where it was showing, on the way in I noticed the back lit striking poster of Snap with the great image of the boy with the two mobile phones. On the way out, it was ALREADY replaced by a new poster advertising a Disney movie with lots of yellow little chickens with sunglasses just in time for Easter. Snap didn’t last very long.

I hope Carmel Winters, the director of Snap, goes on to make more great films based on Irish stories using local talent – but do we deserve it?

I generally don’t like trailers – usually they show too much – but the Snap trailer is good and you can see it HERE.