In the dark days of some unspecified era (probably the '50s) a young boy's future is decided: he will train to be a priest. Fifteen years later, Gabriel (Matthew Macfadyen) returns to his hometown after long years in Africa to take over from the now jaded village priest (admirably portrayed by Mick Lally, who can do a face of crumpled dejection better than anyone). His religious fervour and sense of duty puts him at odds with his brother (the superb Daniel Mays), father (Gerard McSorley), sister-in-law (Eva Birthistle) and, to an extent, the entire village. Where the film falls down, and fails utterly to pick itself up again, is the storyline. The (actual) pyrotechnics of the film's ending are the final hyperbole. Screenwriter Daragh Carville explains that he wished to emulate the epic quality in the music of the likes of Johnny Cash and Hank Williams. In this particular case, however, he overreaches himself and the end result is melodrama.

While this verdict is entirely justified, it feels perhaps a little unfair. There are many positive things that can be said about the film, with the acting, sets, costumes, and cinematography all being of the highest quality. Visually, Middletown is almost flawless. Inspired by the fusion of earthly drama and the divine in Caravaggio, director Brian Kirk brings a tragic beauty to the decay and squalor of Middletown.

Most of the actors manage to give credible performances despite the threadbare nature of their material. However, because of the weakness in the writing, the veritable array of Irish talent on display works against, rather than for, the film. Every second face we see, each one playing their part with consummate professionalism, is familiar from numberless appearances in Irish film and TV. This may seem like a strange fault to find, but it is sometimes the case that the whole does not equal the sum of the parts, and this is certainly the case here. Due to the unconvincing storyline, the film comes across more like a contrived omnibus of Irish talent honouring the demise of some Irish notable. While it is likely that this effect would be limited to audiences familiar with Irish film and TV, it still detracts significantly from the piece.

Macfadyen can hardly be blamed for the shallowness of his character. Our first encounter with the adult Gabriel is his soliloquy on his new church. This is the first of his many extensive quotes from the Bible, and indeed we hear more from the good book than we do from the man's own mind. As we see only a brief glimpse of the priest's descent into madness, what we do see has an unfortunate distinctly comic flavour. We are supposed to witness the obsession of one man tearing a family and village apart. What we actually see is a family and village torn apart by histrionics.

The village of Middletown fulfills the obligations of its name and is an average, an archetype, a norm. It is as faithful as a museum in preserving and reproducing the past. So too are the characters; they are not clichéd, they are the reality from which cliché is made. However, the problem lies in the fact that while Gabriel is also a cliché, he is not of the same type. Macfadyen's character is as unwelcome to the audience as it is to the villagers, because his insanity is too sudden and too inexplicable to be convincing. In this placid landscape portrait, Macfadyen is out of place and, despite his talent, reduced to a caricature of madness. Carville fails to show how the ordinary may make the leap to the extraordinary and, as a result, the film irretrievably founders.

Rated 15A (see IFCO website for details)
Middletown is released on 10th November 2006.
Middletown – Trailer