Odd Man Out
A dark tone setting characterise Garage, the new film from the makers of Adam & Paul. Director Lenny Abrahamson talks to Sheena Sweeney about working with writer Mark O'Halloran and the already critically-acclaimed Garage.

Sheena: What is Garage about for you?

Lenny: I’m trying to think of a way to say this that doesn’t make it sound twee or pretentious – or maybe there isn’t a way of saying that doesn’t make it sound like that (laughs). But I think it’s to show how deep this very ordinary, very marginal character actually is. To show the complexity and value of a character who, on the surface, seems very easy to read and kinda laughable, I suppose.

Do you think it’s a big risk to cast someone like Pat Shortt in something that isn’t strictly a comedy? Punters who are expecting straight out laughs aren’t going to get them.

Exactly. Yeah we were aware of that. It’s quite exciting to take an actor or performer that carries a huge amount of baggage in terms of audience expectations and say, ‘Well, wouldn’t it be brilliant to cast him against that’. But it also sits with Pat; he has played a rural misfit character, it’s just that his particular versions of that are much bigger and broader. We were very clear that any publicity material – posters, trailers – would be very clearly signposted that this is not Killinascully at feature length. I don’t think that anyone who sees the promotional materials for this film or reads things about it will be in any doubt. In other words, you could be really cynical and say ‘Let’s get Pat Shortt and sell this film’… But it’s a dark film. So I think, if having Pat in the film might broaden the audience, and if people go knowing not to expect Kilinascully, I would really hope this film brings that sort of arthouse cinema experience to a broader audience in Ireland.

The character of Josie is quite reminiscent of Jacques Tati’s Monsieur Hulot, or obviously Chaplin’s tramp – the kind of lovable village idiot. What do you think is so appealing about those funny/sad types?

I just always find them – and I mean Mark, obviously, also – just find those people incredibly moving. There’s something about the gentleness and sort of slight absurdity of those characters – I think there are aspects of that vulnerable, idiotic, un-self-confident character in everybody. It’s the better part of everybody, in a way. Also I think I have a strong interest in that sort of physical comedy tradition that a lot of those characters come out of. Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy were the basis of what we did in Adam & Paul, I just find that that’s a hugely rich scene to explore. I don’t know if it’s going to continue, but I think elements of that kind of character and scene making are going to be of interest to us in the future.

The full article is printed in Film Ireland 118.