The Irish have a way of turning painful moments into incredible art. The public discourse around the eighth referendum has been fraught, damaging, and ugly - but our artists continue to fight back with murals, artwork, clothing and now this film.
Irish movie "DIVE" is not overtly pro-choice or pro-life, it's just a standalone piece that reflects some of the emotion at the heart of the issue - with exceptional acting from some of Ireland's finest upcoming talent from Feature Film School in Temple Bar, Dublin.
The Irish-produced film tells the story of a young Irish swimmer, Tara, on her way to the Olympics who faces a difficult decision after discovering she is pregnant. Set against the backdrop of modern-day Ireland, “DIVE” offers an unflinching but balanced look at one of the most fiercely debated issues in public discourse today and one young woman’s journey to make a life-changing decision.
Written and directed by Daniel F. Holmes, the movie stars student actors Vanessa Schaefer, Seanagh Kavanagh and Emmet Ryan with support by well known actor and activist Tara Flynn and Red Rock star Carol O Reilly.
Holmes researched the movie by speaking to Irish women who have travelled abroad for abortions and wanted to convey the fear and helplessness they feel in Tara's story.
He said: “All of the stories I heard were unique in their own different ways but what they all shared was a common sense of fear, particularly a fear of speaking up to seek help. While I can never claim to fully understand what these women go through, I feel like we can all relate to that fear of being in a situation we feel helpless in and afraid to speak up about it.
"That was my way of connecting with Tara and I felt it would be the ideal way for other people to connect with her as well. Storytelling is obviously the ideal tool to experience life in someone else’s shoes so for me it was always the goal that someone who might not share Tara’s views could watch the film and gain sympathy for her dilemma.”
Expect DIVE to cause a big stir next week as it has secured a nationwide cinema release in theatres including Gate and Omniplex Cork, Omniplex Rathmines, Odeon Stillorgan and Eye Galway from Friday May 18.
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