Belfast’s New Lodge is a Catholic neighbourhood violently affected by the Troubles. Many of the men who live here engaged in paramilitary activity in their youth and now suffer from disillusionment, unemployment, and poor mental health. The women work to keep the community afloat. Joe, a middle-aged tower block resident, reenacts traumatic memories from his childhood.  His neighbours too participate in this unsettling process, revisiting events that shaped their lives, and the district they live in. A profound and provocative portrait of a community infused with deep humanity and caustic wit.

Followed by a Q&A with Alessandra Celesia.

Notes by Sunniva O’Flynn

Screening as part of IFI Documentary Festival 2024.

You may also find Occupied City, available online as part of the IFI Documentary Festival @Home, interesting.