Garage (film)
| Garage | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Lenny Abrahamson |
| Produced by | Ed Guiney |
| Written by | Mark O'Halloran |
| Starring |
Pat Shortt Anne-Marie Duff Conor J. Ryan |
| Music by | Stephen Rennicks |
| Cinematography | Peter Robertson |
| Edited by | Isobel Stephenson |
| Distributed by | Element Pictures (IE) Soda Pictures (UK) |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
85 minutes |
| Country | Ireland |
| Language | English |
Garage is a 2007 Irish film directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Mark O'Halloran, the same team behind Adam & Paul. It stars Pat Shortt, Anne-Marie Duff and Conor J. Ryan. The film tells the story of a lonely petrol station attendant and how he slowly begins to come out of his shell.
Garage won the CICAE Art and Essai Cinema Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the Best Film prize at the 25th Torino Film Festival.
Josie (Pat Shortt) is a good-natured man with learning difficulties who lives and works at a garage in a small rural Irish village. The owner, Mr Gallagher, is a former schoolmate who is not interested in the garage and is only waiting for the right offer from developers so he can sell. For Josie, one day rolls into another with nothing but his menial job and a few pints in the local pub, even though the regulars mock him and his ways. Kind-hearted Josie's only other companion is a large horse that is tethered alone in a field. He talks to the animal and brings it food.
One day his boss hires his girlfriend's 15-year-old son, David (Conor Ryan) to help Josie. Slowly Josie connects with David as they endure the slow and menial pace of the garage. One night after work, Josie innocently shares some beers with David. They sit and watch the sunset at the rear of the garage. Josie joins David and other local teenagers down by the railway tracks and brings beer for all of them. The new social aspects to his life lifts his confidence. At the local pub, he gets the courage to dance with Carmel, the local shopkeeper. But she shows her cynicism for Josie by explicitly telling him she feels no physical attraction towards him.
The friendship between Josie and David progresses nicely until one fateful day after work. Josie shows David a pornographic film which Josie received from a trucker who frequents the petrol station. David feels uncomfortable and leaves. Josie, sensing something is wrong, follows him outside but is unable to clarify the situation.
David returns the following week but does not stay after work. Instead, he leaves with Declan, a local boy who openly mocks and despises Josie because he is different. Nevertheless, Josie offers Declan a beer and cheerful goodbye. The next day, the local Garda come to the garage and take Josie to the police station because there has been "a complaint". It transpires that David told Declan about the previous weekend's incident and word reached David's mother that Josie had supplied her son with alcohol and shown him pornography. After an interview with a sympathetic officer, Josie explains it was just a bit of "craic" and "pure innocent". No charges are brought and he is released. But he is told to stay away from the town and especially to avoid contact with David. Josie returns to the garage. While eating dinner, he suddenly realises what has happened. Shocked, he puts his head in hands all alone in his little room at the back of the garage.
...
Wikipedia