Irish Film Institute -FROM THE VAULTS: SWEETY BARRETT

FROM THE VAULTS: SWEETY BARRETT

Director: Stephen Bradley

88 mins, Ireland, 1998, 35mm


Sweety Barrett (Brendan Gleeson) is a giant of a man with the mind of a child. Having lost his job with the travelling circus, he arrives in the seedy port of Dockery (Balbriggan) looking for work. He befriends a local woman (Lynda Steadman) and develops a close bond with her young son, Conor (Dylan Murphy).
He soon becomes a target for some local gangsters, and is embroiled in a smuggling operation that unleashes a spiral of dangerous and unexpected events. In a final twist, Sweety triumphs against the evil machinations of Detective Bone (Liam Cunningham).

Brendan Gleeson creates a sensitive and subtle portrait of a naïve, intellectually disabled protagonist alongside a strong cast, which includes Brendan O’Carroll, Andrew Scott, and Cillian Murphy (in his film debut). Stephen Bradley demonstrates great cinematic flair
in this quirky and moving feature debut.

The screening will be introduced by Stephen Bradley.

Notes by Sunniva O’Flynn

Book Tickets

Tuesday 11th

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