Irish Film Institute -International Film Directory – Film Listing

The Drummer and the Keeper

    • Director

      Nick Kelly

    • Credits

      Producer:
      Kate McColgan

      Writer:
      Nick Kelly

    • Principal Cast

      Dermot Murphy
      Jacob McCarthy
      Charlie Kelly
      Peter Coonan

  • Category

    Feature

Drummer Gabriel (Dermot Murphy), recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder, is forced to curb his erratic behaviour when his therapist changes his medication and insists he join a special football team.

When he meets goalkeeper Christopher (Jacob McCarthy), a 17-year-old with Asperger’s Syndrome, a fraught relationship gradually develops into a firm friendship as each learns to respect the other’s foibles.

Writer/director/composer Nick Kelly captures the mental health pitfalls of a rock’n’roll lifestyle with sharp insight, while his portrait of a young man with Asperger’s, drawn with affection and deep understanding, is perfectly observed.

This uplifting and comedic feature début deservedly bagged the Best Irish First Feature Award at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh.

Notes by Sunniva O'Flynn

Awards Audience Award, Best Feature Film - Drama, Sedona International Film Festival 2019
Audience Award, Best Film, Würzburg International Filmweekend 2019
Grand Jury, Best Narrative Feature, Gasparilla International Film Festival 2019
Audience Award, Best Foreign Film, Newport Beach Film Festival 2018
Rising Star Award, Best Actor, Dermot Murphy, Naples International Film Festival 2018
Festival Jury Prize, Best Director, Breaking Down Barriers International Disability Film Festival 2018
Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award, Best Film, Cleveland International Film Festival 2018
Audience Prize, Festival Univerciné Britannique, 2018 Rising Star Award, Rising Star, Jacob McCarthy, Irish Film and Television Awards 2018
Best Feature Film, Irish Film Festival London 2017
Ros Hubbard Award For Acting, Jacob McCarthy, Irish Film Festival London 2017
Feature Film Award, Best First Irish Feature, Galway Film Fleadh 2017

92 minutes, Ireland, 2017, Colour

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