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Movies & TV

23rd Jan 2023

New Irish movie from the director of Sing Street premieres to great reviews

Stephen Porzio

Flora and Son

The film premiered this week at the Sundance Film Festival.

The latest movie from Irish writer-director John Carney (Once, Sing Street) is picking up some very good reviews following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

Titled Flora and Son, Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters) plays Flora, a single mother having problems with her troubled teenage son, Max (newcomer Orén Kinlan).

After Max has a run-in with the Gardaí, Flora is encouraged to find her son a hobby.

Discovering an old guitar in a skip, she believes that music may be the answer and winds up seeking the services of an LA-based online guitar teacher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Inception).

Also co-starring Jack Reynor (Sing Street), Flora and Son appeared to go down well at its Sundance premiere based on the following video posted by Orén Kinlan’s dad, Love/Hate star Laurence Kinlan.

On top of this, the movie is currently sitting on a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score based on five reviews.

You can read snippets of some reactions to the movie from critics below.

IndieWire – “A cozy Irish musical about the ways in which music can bond people together, the joy of creation, and the pleasure of someone unpacking their soul, all with that lovely Irish lilt.”

Screen Daily – “Hewson, gifted with a wealth of elaborately profane dialogue, is a force of nature.”

The Playlist – “Flora and Son is a tiny lil’ wisp of a movie with nothing particularly new to say or an especially fresh way to say it. But damned if it doesn’t sock you right in the ticker anyway.”

The Wrap – “It is well-nigh impossible to resist Carney’s optimism and sincerity as he reminds us, once again, that music is life.”

Flora and Son does not yet have an Irish release date but you can expect it to be released in cinemas later this year.

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Main image via Sundance Film Festival

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