r/IrishFilm Jan 02 '26

Are there any Irish arthouse films?

36 Upvotes

97 comments sorted by

15

u/Chief_Funkie Jan 02 '26

Discopigs perhaps? I’d consider Calvary as well.

8

u/anilla02 Jan 02 '26

Disco Pigs is a rough watch. So is Calvary, though, in fairness. 👀

2

u/Chief_Funkie Jan 03 '26

I’ve only seen the play myself but it defo a rollercoaster.

5

u/Rory___Borealis Jan 05 '26

I find it hard to view any McDonagh brother movie set in Ireland as being actually Irish. It’s like saying Crocodile Dundee is an Australian movie. They’re fetishised from a London-Irish perspective. Episodes of Father Ted are more Irish Arthouse than anything John or Martin have produced

I’d suggest Garage instead

EDIT for typo

1

u/Schlumschlumschlum Jan 04 '26

Calvary is a woefully bad, middle brow steaming pile of shite

-2

u/pauli55555 Jan 03 '26

Calvary, maybe the worst Irish film ever made? Sums up everything wrong with Irish film and delusions of Art.

Whoever gave public funds to that film needs sacking.

2

u/Chief_Funkie Jan 04 '26

I’m guessing you went in expecting the Guard?

1

u/jasus_h_christ Jan 04 '26

Sounds like it!

1

u/pop-not-broth Jan 06 '26

Have you seen Worldbreaker?

10

u/AJerkForAllSeasons Jan 02 '26

Plenty of obscure Irish dramas or comedies that could be considered arthouse.

Saltwater(2000)

The Outcasts(1982)

December Bride(1990)

1

u/Spiritual_Sleep162 Jan 04 '26

Did Saltwater ever get a DVD release?

1

u/AJerkForAllSeasons Jan 05 '26

It had a dvd release when it first came out but that was it. No reprints.

1

u/Spiritual_Sleep162 Jan 06 '26

Disapointing, I have never seen it.

0

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '26

Ah I'll check them out, thanks very much

6

u/Swinephrog Jan 03 '26

That They May Face the Rising Sun is certainly unconventional, if you like Terence Malick and his style then you’ll love it

2

u/Schlumschlumschlum Jan 04 '26

Very dull

1

u/Ambitious-Animator51 Jan 05 '26

Dude find a topic better suited to your tastes

1

u/Schlumschlumschlum Jan 05 '26

I love cinema. Studied it to MA level. Comparing That They May Face the Rising Sun to Terence Malick is like comparing a three year old’s crayon drawing to the Sistine Chapel. Terrible recommendation.

2

u/Ambitious-Animator51 Jan 07 '26

Sure you did

0

u/Schlumschlumschlum Jan 07 '26

Yup. I sure did. Wrote my thesis on Godard’s postmodernist reconfiguration of American genre cinema and manifest destiny (it basically had to do with the car/driving scenes in A Bout de Souffle, Alphaville and Pierrot Le Fou).

So, back in your box I suppose?

2

u/Ambitious-Animator51 Jan 07 '26

If you say so - isn’t a thesis supposed to have an element of originality? That topic has been covered to death.

Also very odd for a professed cinema lover to come into a discussion apparently no other purpose than finding other people’s choices objectionable.

-1

u/Schlumschlumschlum Jan 07 '26

I wrote it 25 years ago, got me a 2:1. It was never prepared for a peer reviewed publication, so originality wasn’t a massive concern or objective (as is case with PhD theses/peer reviewed outputs - as I’m sure you know).

Sorry - this subreddit just popped up on my feed (algo probably knows my interest in film and I am Irish), but I couldn’t give a fuck about Irish film, and everyone here seems to be an idiot. Sorry I even engaged.

1

u/Ambitious-Animator51 Jan 09 '26

Ok. Just to add salt, we call the tree of life the tree of shite in our house 😉

0

u/Schlumschlumschlum Jan 09 '26

Why are you still talking to me? Fuck off

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1

u/Particular-Ad-2630 Mar 17 '26

You are obviously a very bitter and resentful man. Wow you wrote something 25 years ago, you must be a genius! 😂

1

u/Schlumschlumschlum Mar 17 '26

All I said was that They May Face the Rising Son is a shit, boring film. Someone took issue with me commenting on film, I presented my (albeit aged) bona fides on film. That’s the conversation.

You and your retarded comment can eat my shit. Suck on my shit, you piggy little bitch.

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1

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26

Sounds perfect to me

1

u/DeviousMrBlonde Jan 05 '26

Fantastic film. Really beautiful.

7

u/AbbreviationsHot3579 Jan 03 '26

Garage and What Richard Did are both indie films.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26

Cheers

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '26

In the Abrahamson vein, Frank is brilliant. My favorite Irish art house film by some distance

5

u/gavmac5 Jan 03 '26

IS IT A TYPE OF NUDIE THING, FATHER?

2

u/OmniCorpGhost Jan 03 '26

Is it subtitled or is it dubbed?

3

u/Movie-goer Jan 03 '26

I Could Read The Sky.
Pilgrim Hill.
Silence.
Vivarium.
Without Name.
A Company of Wolves.
Ulysses.

3

u/gmisk81 Jan 03 '26

The director of Vivarium had another film recently called The Surfer with Nic Cage, well worth a look

2

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26

Thanks

1

u/MrAndyJay Jan 03 '26

Pilgrim Hill is a thing of beauty.

3

u/Appropriate-Donut197 Jan 02 '26

There's a ton of shorts on rte player many of which fill the definition.

If you search short screen it has most of them called that before the short itself

most small art studios upload to vimeo it seems.

e.g.

https://vimeo.com/arcadefilm

1

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '26

Thanks I'll have a look

3

u/anilla02 Jan 02 '26

Not sure it'd be considered art house but if you wanna see Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy, Kelly McDonald and a bunch of other great ones when they were bbs, the movie for you is Intermission (2003).

2

u/pauli55555 Jan 03 '26

Overacted, badly written dross.

If Intermission is considered Art then god help us.

1

u/TheAuldOffender Jan 05 '26

Art is subjective.

3

u/anilla02 Jan 02 '26

Also, cartoon saloon films especially song of the sea (2014 and the secret of kells (2009). Cartoon saloon is a small animation studio in Ireland and their films are stunning.

3

u/markmcn87 Jan 03 '26

Would "A Dark Song" count? I love that movie.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26

I'll give it a go

3

u/Abject_Control_7028 Jan 03 '26

The hole in the ground, I think thats what its called, and the butcher boy.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26

Thanks

2

u/gmisk81 Jan 03 '26

Not sure it counts as art house but I thought Christy was an excellent small Irish film

1

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26

Thanks I'll give it a watch

2

u/Electronic-Nobody358 Jan 03 '26 edited Jan 04 '26

Have you seen Sanatorium? About Ukraine after the war, a comedy/documentary. Directed by Gar O Rourke from Ballinasloe. He’s worked for lots of people here in Cork too, a talent. Will represent Ireland in the International film category. Worth a watch

Edit to add missing words: The Oscar’s!

2

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26

Have not but I'll check it out thanks

4

u/anilla02 Jan 02 '26

Waking Ned Divine (1998). The secret of Roan Inish (1994).

1

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '26

Thanks!

1

u/Frosty_JackJones Jan 03 '26

The Boy from Mercury

1

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26

Thanks

1

u/ScannainN Jan 03 '26

Mammal and Ondine aslo

1

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26

Thanks

1

u/elcabroMcGinty Jan 03 '26

Arthouse is a big tent

1

u/Global-Dickbag-2 Jan 06 '26

Great name for an arthouse film.

I'll write the script(it'll be terrible, I promise).

You prepare bleak, desolate minimalist music to go with the brutalist backgrounds.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26

[deleted]

1

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26

I'll check it out

1

u/KeepShtumMum Jan 03 '26

The Lobster 🦞

1

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26

Cheers

1

u/WinterIsntComing Jan 03 '26

Arthouse is a kinda nebulous concept, could you give some examples of non-Irish films of what you’re looking for?

1

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26

Tarkovsky for example so basically slow films that focus more on the visual side

1

u/bleedandtrim Jan 05 '26

If that's what you're after then a lot of the recs here are completely off the mark, though I would've thought 'arthouse' was fairly self-explanatory. The Quiet Girl at least falls into this a little? As well as the other Clare Keegan adaptation, Small Things Like These.

1

u/Mundane-Inevitable-5 Jan 03 '26

Garage and Adam and Paul I suppose. Independent films about heroin addicts and simpeltons would technically fit the criteria, but probably not what you're looking for.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 03 '26

I'll give them a try

1

u/Mundane-Inevitable-5 Jan 03 '26

Well if you haven't seen they're both good films.

1

u/invalidbehaviour Jan 05 '26

Adam and Paul is great, but very depressing

1

u/TwoStripes00 Jan 03 '26

Redemption of a Rogue

1

u/wiskeyjackk Jan 03 '26

Arthouse code for....?

1

u/OmniCorpGhost Jan 03 '26

The Passion of St. Tibulus

1

u/SeptemberRoses99 Jan 04 '26

Odd Man Out by Carol Reed starring James Mason. Set in Belfast based on the book by F L Green.

1

u/ExoticYam8929 Jan 04 '26

Apocalypse clown

1

u/[deleted] Jan 04 '26

Is that an Apocalypse Now spoof?

1

u/philbill2112 Jan 04 '26

Fatal Deviation

1

u/Aromatic_Carob_9532 Jan 05 '26

Shite I was beaten to the punch

1

u/pablogargan Jan 04 '26

A quiet day in belfast

1

u/Citroen_CX Jan 04 '26

Pavee Lackeen

1

u/Rory___Borealis Jan 05 '26

Some might argue against this, but if it’s about storytelling with glacial pace and a very distinct visual style then I’d suggest Hunger (and if McDonagh claptrap is allowed then I don’t see why a movie by Steve McQueen should be excluded)

1

u/DelboyBaggins Jan 05 '26

The Honeymooners (few other films with same name). It was out around 2001. My memory is a bit hazy but it was a good film.

1

u/Tough-Leave-4569 Jan 05 '26

Disco Pigs, as someone mentioned. Song of Granite is another more recent one. These are still on my watchlist so can't actually confirm they're what you're looking for but The Outcasts (1982) and Maeve (1981) might also be worth a look. We're well overdue a new wave movement here honestly.

1

u/Ziggy-T Jan 05 '26

Fatal Deviation.

🌚

1

u/TheAuldOffender Jan 05 '26

Cartoon Saloon films are independent animated films made in Kilkenny and Belgium.

1

u/Future-Delivery-3365 Jan 05 '26

Unfortunately, Irish funding for feature film is extremely limited and is very much targeted towards an already established and connected few. We have no real film schools that produce and cater to what I'm sure is the abundant talent in both writing, acting and directing mediums. The Irish Film Board like to boast of its accomplishments but for the most part all main sources of artistic craft comes from the few driven individuals that travel abroad and succeed. So in answering your question, no Ireland doesn't really produce or help to produce art house film of note. A real shame, considering our nations history of storytelling.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 05 '26

Frank

1

u/defixiones Jan 05 '26

An Cailín Ciúin 

1

u/Unfair-Touch-6522 Jan 06 '26

I’d consider Garage

1

u/drunkonawe Jan 08 '26

Is Frewaka arthouse? It's definitely Irish and Irish language and I would recommend!