This film is currently unavailable
Further Beyond
Desperate Optimists' deliriously deconstructed biopic of the extraordinary Ambrosio O'Higgins, who left Ireland to become the captain general of Chile in the Spanish Empire.
Director: Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor
Overview
Desperate Optimists present this deliriously deconstructed biopic of the extraordinary Ambrosio O'Higgins, First Marquis of Osorno. A misfit and adventurer, he left Ireland to become a Spanish colonial administrator, then served the Spanish Empire – almost by accident – as Captain General of Chile and Viceroy of Peru. His son, Bernardo O’Higgins, later became the first leader of independent Chile.
Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor (aka Desperate Optimists) present a discursive essay on how to tell a tale by undermining the very nature of the biopic genre. They send actors (Jose Miguel Jimenez and Game of Thrones' Aiden Gillen) to re-enact the journey and employ a dual voiceover through which the tellers humorously question their own relationship to the story. This includes the terms and conditions of their employment, as well as their part in the process of simultaneously creating and deconstructing the narrative. Within a specifically Irish context, the film investigates how travel and migration can transform identity and change the world. Building on the critical success of their (more) dramatic features, Helen and Mister John, Molloy and Lawler have crafted another unforgettable experiment in meta-narrative; one described in a five-star Guardian review as "exceedingly playful and intellectually stimulating... essential viewing."
Related
Anselm Anselm
Biopic 2023 94 mins Director: Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders' stately and beautifully scored study of Anselm Kiefer.
Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer
Biopic 2024 90 mins Director: Thomas von Steinaecker
A riveting and all-encompassing portrait of the iconic German filmmaker.
Dread Beat and Blood Dread Beat and Blood
Biopic 1979 44 mins Director: Franco Rosso
Vibrant documentary portrait of dub poet and activist Linton Kwesi Johnson, fighting racism with the spoken word on the streets of 1970s Brixton.
Rebel Dread Rebel Dread
Biopic 2021 83 mins Director: William E. Badgley
This is the story of the iconic Don Letts, the coolest cultural polymath – narrated by the man himself.
Vita & Virginia Vita & Virginia
Biopic 2018 110 mins Director: Chanya Button
Gemma Arterton and Elizabeth Debicki relive a literary love affair, fiery and forbidden, with a remarkable legacy.
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser
Biopic 1974 109 mins Director: Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog’s poetic account of the historical character who captivated 19th-century Nuremberg after emerging from isolation after 16 years in a cellar.
Rose Plays Julie Rose Plays Julie
Drama 2021 101 mins Director: Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor
A young woman seeking her biological mother journeys into dangerous territory in this gripping psychological thriller from Irish directing duo Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor.
Baltimore Baltimore
Historical drama 2023 98 mins Director: Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor
Imogen Poots grounds Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor's meditative portrayal of terrorist, disinherited heiress and expectant mother Rose Dugdale.
Rose Plays Julie Rose Plays Julie
Drama 2021 101 mins Director: Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor
A young woman seeking her biological mother journeys into dangerous territory in this gripping psychological thriller from Irish directing duo Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor.
Helen Helen
Thriller 2009 75 mins Director: Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor
An inventive and acclaimed British feature following the transformation of a teenager who agrees to portray her missing college friend in a highly detailed crime reconstruction.
Point Break Point Break
Action and Adventure 1991 122 mins Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Bigelow’s pulse-pounding action thriller and heady bromance, with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze.
Beasts Clawing at Straws Beasts Clawing at Straws
Crime 2022 109 mins Director: Kim Yong-hoon
The lives of ten strangers collide when a cleaner finds a bag stuffed with money in this slick, jet-black comedy that unspools like a Korean Pulp Fiction. Starring Academy Award winner Yuh-Jung Youn (Minari).
The Foul King The Foul King
Comedy 2000 112 mins Director: Kim Jee-woon
Kim Jee-woon’s hilarious comedy, starring Song Kang-ho (Parasite) as a wimpy bank clerk who turns his hand to competitive wrestling.
A Bittersweet Life A Bittersweet Life
Action and Adventure 2005 120 mins Director: Kim Jee-woon and Doo Hong Jung
A hitman becomes the target in this ultra-stylish neo noir from Kim Jee-woon.
JSA: Joint Security Area JSA: Joint Security Area
Thriller 2001 109 mins Director: Park Chan-wook
Gunfire breaks out in the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea in this gripping thriller from Park Chan-wook.
Sleep Sleep
Horror 2023 94 mins Director: Jason Yu
A recently married couple find their lives turning upside down as a result of the husband’s nocturnal behaviour.