61st Chicago International Film Festival: Decidedly Irish for Me -...

The iconic Music Box Theater, site of many of the films at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival.

In other years of the Chicago International Film Festival, a specific country or group of countries has been selected for a focus of the festival, featuring films from that country or area. I remember the Nordic countries having their day in the sun. There was also one year where the Middle East was highlighted. A film had been shot on a cell phone depicting the difficulties faced in the Middle East by Palestinians who were forced to enter Israel to find work. And I think there was a French year, as well, going back to 2007 or 2008.

This year, for me, at least, the focus was Ireland. The feature films, shorts and documentaries I’ve been viewing have been Irish.

SHORTS

Dates for HollyShorts: November 13–16, 2025, held in London at Leicester Square. Since most directors start out making shorts, I genuinely enjoy seeing new, young talent as they start out with shorts. I didn’t make it through all 427 (!) offered me reviewing the HollyShorts festival last year, but perhaps I’ll do better this November. Stay tuned and keep reading, as this festival is just around the corner (and a lot shorter). I would vote for removing a couple days from the length of this one. Towards the end, the Closing Night Film people may be getting worried that they’ll not have enough folks left in town (especially reviewers) to fete their film.

From the short “Retirement”(Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland).

The first Irish short that I absolutely loved, which showed at the 61^st Chicago International Film Festival, was “Retirement Plan” from Irish directors/writers John Kelly and Tara Lawell. Here is a link to the complete review, which the director later contacted me regarding, saying he felt it helped him win the shorts competition this past spring at SXSW. https://www.weeklywilson.com/retirement-the-7-minute-short-that-tells-the-truth/

DOCUMENTARY

“Celtic Utopia”

In the documentary category, “Celtic Utopia” from Directors Dennis Harvey and Lars Loven, was a joint production of Ireland and Sweden. Described as “A wry portrait of a new wave of Irish folk musicians, unafraid to confront their country’s colonial and conservative past” it reminded me of “Kneecap,” which won big at the last Sundance. “Kneecap” was about Irish rappers, and “Celtic Utopia” has Irish rappers, with names like Young Spencer (“Soul in Pain” “Straight Outta’ Belfast”). An interview subject says, “In Ireland, I think rap is on the rise.” Many groups and soloists are featured. The Gaelic language is used by most. With topics like “The Night the Murder Car of Death Drove into Dundalk Town,” it is clear that Irish youth has much to say in 2025 and “the troubles” may not be as far behind Ireland as we thought.

One musician said, “We need to learn Irish as a form of rebellion against the spread of this shitty monoculture that has nothing to offer us at all.” Another adds, ”That’s what the British did. They made us hate our own language.” Another youth says, “Change has to come from my generation…It’s unjust that we’re still living under British rule, and we’re going to fix it.” “We’re fighting over stuff from the past, over nothing.” Song lyric: “The sea—long may it stay between the British and me.”

CATHOLICISM IN IRELAND

One interesting segment in “Celtic Utopia” involved Catholicism. “You weren’t allowed to speak ill of the Catholic Church.” As an Irish family that had an unwed pregnant teenaged girl amongst the family, the statement is: “Ireland, the last bastion of the Catholic Church. Pregnant teenagers going over on the boat for an abortion. That’s what happened to women when they admitted (while on the boat) that that’s what they were doing: total rejection. ..At age 17 our family had a child taken away and never seen again. We don’t know where our sister is to this day.”

“Celtic Utopia” was a 90-minute Irish nominee for the Gold Hugo as Best Documentary at the 61^st Chicago International Film Festival. The winner, announced today, was “Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk” about the Gaza bombing.

IRISH FEATURE FILMS

“The Reckoning of Erin Morrigan”

The three feature films from Ireland that I saw were “The Reckoning of Erin Morrigan” from Director Gabrielle Russell, “Spilt Milk” and “Whitetail.” As the synopsis for “The Reckoning of Erin Morrigan” read, “Tormented by the ghosts of her past, a dying former IRA operative confronts her demons in a final shot at redemption.”

The film was 90 minutes long. “The Reckoning of Erin Morrigan” felt 3 hours long. Like “Reedland,” the movie needed to step up the pace. The lead actress helps harbor another IRA murderer, a young boy who shows up at her doorstep. The entire cast is the two of them, with the legendary white-haired former IRA female enforcer having flashbacks to her murderous days and begging the young boy to put her out of her cancer-induced misery. [Made me want to go back and rewatch the 7-minute “Retirement Plan” for some much-needed levity.]

‘Spilt Milk”

“Spilt Milk,” which won the 2025 Glasgow (Scotland) Mubi Award is from Director Brian Durnin from the UK/Ireland. The plot sounded intriguing: “Inspired by his favorite TV detective Kojak, an 11-year-old boy in 1980s Dublin is drawn into the city’s underbelly as he investigates his older brother’s disappearance.” This synopsis was misleading. The lead character’s older brother doesn’t actually “disappear.” He has become addicted to drugs and the friction at home causes him to temporarily absent himself from home. The young boy and girl portraying amateur sleuths did a credible job, but it wasn’t the film I thought it would be (nor was “Reedland” when I watched that one about a Dutch girl’s body found in a farmer’s Holland field.)

“Whitetail”

The synopsis for this film from Director Nanouk Leopold read: “As poachers encroach on the wilderness she supervises, Irish park ranger Jen must reconcile past trauma with new threats in this white-knuckle thriller.

I’m not sure that “white-knuckle thriller” is the right term. It took me a while to figure out that the young couple out in the woods shooting at targets were Jen (Natasha O’Keefe) and Oscar (Aaron McCusker) as teenagers. The resemblance was not that keen, especially for young Oscar after he is grown. In the opening, the young couple are portrayed by Sean Treacy and Abby Fitz.

Natasha O’Keefe as Jen in “Whitetail.”

The first (of 3) feigned sex scenes occurs in the verdant woods and Jen mentions that she thinks her sister, Erica, has a crush on Oscar, because Erica keeps wanting to go along with them on their woods adventures. The couple are taking pot shots with a rifle and, midst the awkward coupling (Jen never seems to have sex in a bed or, really, in any comfortable room), she fires off a shot hastily. It hits her sister, who has secretly followed them. Jen is immediately shocked and vomits, which seemed logical, but the rest did not seem as normal.

At the point that Jen realizes that she has shot her sister, woudn’t you expect her to run over to her to see if she could render some sort of first aid? She doesn’t. Neither does Oscar, who, in fact, seems to sort of back out of the picture forever, even leaving home with his parents’ blessing.

I also expected there would be some sort of scene where the young lovers have to tell the adults what has happened (also missing) and perhaps a few brief funeral scenes. (MIA).

Nada. Zip. Zero.

“Whitetail”

Then, we close in on Jen in a kitchen with a white-haired guy. Is this an older husband? A father? What? It slowly (too slowly) becomes apparent that it is Jen’s father. He has not been the Rock of Gibraltar during her tough moments of remorse over the shooting of her sister. As the screenplay puts it (which Director Nanouk Leopold wrote), “It’s like she’s heavy, stuck in tar. She hasn’t moved on.”

There is some conflict between Jen and the local policeman, Liam, played by Aidan O’Hare. Liam has the hots for Jen, but she seems disinterested. Then Oscar returns to the old hometown, due to his mother’s death. Jen finds that upsetting and basically suggests that he get lost for good.

“Whitetail” (Ocar’s back in town).

They do have a momentary coming together, but the thrill is gone.

At the finale of the film, when Jen sees poachers moving about in her forest at night and sends a voice mail to Liam to tell him where she is going to intercept them most of us are thinking, “Is it really a great idea to go out at night, in the dark, into the forest, to possibly arrest illegal armed poachers?” Maybe it’s the Irish devil-may-care throw-caution-to-the-winds spirit that possesses her. In that case, I missed that memo. My maiden name was Corcoran (Irish), but I would have given that particular plot move a bit more thought. Use your imagination about what could happen next, as it does.

RETIREMENT PLAN REDUX

So, to sum up, really try to spend 7 minutes watching “Retirement Plan” (a short) especially If you are close to retirement age or pondering it. It was an Irish treat and a half! (And it only took 7 minutes of my life!)