The Black Guelph
| The Black Guelph | |
|---|---|
 Film Poster | |
| Directed by | John Connors |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Carl Quinn |
| Edited by | Tiernan Williams |
Release dates | |
Running time | 120 mins. |
| Country | Ireland |
| Language | English |
The Black Guelph is a 2022 Irish drama film, directed by John Connors, who also co-stars and co-wrote with editor Tiernan Williams. It stars Graham Earley, Barry John Kinsella, Denise McCormack, Tony Doyle, Stephen Clinch and Gemma-Leah Devereux. It premiered at the Oldenburg International Film Festival in 2022, before being released in Ireland and the USA in 2024.[1]
Synopsis
About Canto, a small time drug dealer trying to get off the streets, whose long absent father Cormac, an industrial school survivor, returns home looking for forgiveness and reconciliation.
Cast
- Graham Earley as Canto
- Barry John Kinsella as Cormac
- Denise McCormack as Beatrice
- Tony Doyle as Virgil
- Lauren Larkin as Leah
- Paul Roe as Dan
- John Connors as Ryan
- Gemma-Leah Devereux as Jenny
- Casey Walsh as Jaya
- Kevin Glynn as Father Peter
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.90/10.[2] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 76 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[3]
John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter says, "Intriguing characters and elements of crime fiction prevent the film from being a dour slog", in a mostly positive review.[4] Wendy Ide of Screen Daily lauds the "fiercely authentic portrait of Ireland's underclass".[5] Stephen Dalton of The Film Verdict compliments writer/director John Connors for making "a powerful statement with his…gritty crime thriller".[6]
Dale Kearney of Film Ireland praises the performances, particularly those of Graham Earley and Paul Roe, the latter of whom he says gives "a totally devastating" turn.[7] Olly Dyche of MovieWeb praises the film for being "A devastating and impactful drama".[8] And Alton Barnhart of SLUG states that the film's one problem is that it "doesn't know what kind" of film it wants to be.[9]
References
- ↑ "The Black Guelph". The Film Catalogue. 22 March 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ "The Black Guelph (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ "The Black Guelph (2015)". Metacritic. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ DeFore, John (14 September 2022). "The Black Guelph Review: A Bleakly Compelling Irish Drama of Abuse and Repercussions". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ Ide, Wendy (1 March 2023). "The Black Guelph: Dublin Review". Screen International. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ Dalton, Stephen (17 September 2022). "The Black Guelph". Valnet. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ Kearney, Dale (7 June 2024). "Review: The Black Guelph". Film Ireland. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ Dyche, Olly (10 July 2023). "The Black Guelph Review: A Devastating and Impactful Drama". Valnet. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ Barnhart, Alton (10 July 2023). "Film Review: The Black Guelph". SLUG. Retrieved 22 July 2026.