Two consecutive box-office clunkers sent Jordan back home to regroup, and this intimate drama unfolding on the Bray seafront is the closest his films have come to the world of his short stories. Teens Niall Byrne and Lorraine Pilkington are such firm buddies they hardly dare acknowledge the attraction between them, but he’s in for a life lesson when visiting American actress Beverly D’Angelo throws him for a hormonal spin.

Jordan arguably overplays the mystery angle, but otherwise this is a delightful compendium of favourite elements – problematic romance, musical standards, the seaside, fractured parental relationships, and a seasoning of fantasy. 

Showing as part of our Neil Jordan Retrospective which runs throughout May. His new film, Byzantium, opens on May 31st. 

See our online exhibition of some of Neil Jordan’s substantial document collections held by the IFI Irish Film Archive.