{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Public Square Magazine","provider_url":"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org","title":"Barry Keoghan shines in weak star vehicle - Public Square Magazine","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"49rDpXrFT9\"><a href=\"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/bulletin\/barry-keoghan-shines-in-weak-star-vehicle\/\">Barry Keoghan shines in weak star vehicle<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/bulletin\/barry-keoghan-shines-in-weak-star-vehicle\/embed\/#?secret=49rDpXrFT9\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Barry Keoghan shines in weak star vehicle&#8221; &#8212; Public Square Magazine\" data-secret=\"49rDpXrFT9\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n","description":"\u201cBring Them Down\u201d is a careful small-town drama about Irish sheep farmers. The film stars Christopher Abbott as Michael after his acclaimed performance as the villain in \u201cPoor Things,\u201d and titular role in \u201cWolf Man.\u201d\u00a0 Barry Keoghan plays opposite as Jack, the son of neighboring farmers. Keoghan also made his mark in a Yorgos Lanthimos film, \u201cKilling of a Sacred Deer.\u201d He is as up-and-coming as an actor can be, set to star in the highly anticipated Beatles biopic.\u00a0 The film is mostly a showpiece for the two talented leads to luxuriate in the acting moments that the revenge plot affords them. Abbott builds a character suspended in tension between his guilt over his mother\u2019s passing, his deference to his strong-willed father, his honor, and his self-sufficiency. Keoghan has a slightly more complicated job, as he needs to find the motivation to start the feud inside a character that is juvenile and slight. As a showcase, the film is a success. Not many people will see it, but it will certainly help burnish the reputations of Abbot and Keoghan as formidable actors. And the plot is good enough to serve that purpose. Caroline, Michael\u2019s ex-girlfriend, and Jack\u2019s mother, has decided to leave Jack\u2019s father because of their financial problem. A bridge is out, and Michael\u2019s father is reluctant to let Jack\u2019s family cross his property. So Jack hatches a plan to steal two prized rams from Michael\u2019s family. When Jack\u2019s dad catches him, he makes him kill the ram and get rid of it. The woman they sell it to offers them good money for sheep legs, offering what Jack sees as a solution to his family\u2019s problems. But rather than tell the story in a forthright way, the edit tells the story twice, first from Michael\u2019s point of view, and then from Jack\u2019s. So during the first half of the film things move so fast and with so little context, you struggle to know what\u2019s going on. Then when it restarts, the audience doesn\u2019t know the device yet, and doesn\u2019t figure it out for about twenty minutes when plot points begin to repeat themselves.\u00a0 Once we figure it out, the idea isn\u2019t terrible. When we were strictly in Michael\u2019s perspective the feud seems meaningless and is cast in strictly moralistic terms. When we revisit it through Jack\u2019s perspective, we can begin to appreciate the complicated factors that led to Jack\u2019s decision.\u00a0 But the edit doesn\u2019t tell the story clearly enough. So the main emotion I felt while watching the film was confusion. I\u2019m certain that the film would improve on a rewatch, but the ultimate story that a feud develops because Jack steals Michael\u2019s sheep to keep his parents together doesn\u2019t have enough heft to draw me back. It\u2019s a pastoral film, and it does a good job of capturing the place. Colm Meaney, who plays Michael\u2019s father, Ray, does a particularly notable job speaking Irish at length. First-time director Chris Andrews has some interesting ideas. He is clearly capable of letting talented actors do what they do best, a skill that will serve him well in his directing career. The film is also shot in a subdued way that highlights the natural light and natural beauty of the setting, but without ever drawing attention to itself.\u00a0 The use of fire in the film\u2019s back half is particularly notable.\u00a0 \u201cBring Them Down\u201d is R-rated for its violence and language. The domestic violence where Jack\u2019s mother beats Jack\u2019s father is particularly harrowing. But I found the film\u2019s moral message to be largely in the right place. Jack\u2019s theft leads to nothing but suffering. And revenge is shown as almost entirely futile. The film even offers a glimpse at honest redemption. Still, I wouldn\u2019t watch this with my kids, at least until they were adults.\u00a0 Two and a half out of five stars. \u201cBring Them Down\u201d releases in theaters nationwide February 7, 2025."}