In his review of indie thriller, A Sunken Place, Will Penn dives deep.
A Sunken Place, directed by Ronan O'Leary and written by Gerard Daly, asks ambitious questions about playing God in medical advancement. As one of Ireland's first medical thrillers, this goal is commendable, even if, at times, it outpaces the film's execution as a low-budget independent film.
The first act introduces a dizzying blur of characters within the first few scenes. Alice (Lorna Quinn) is a doctor developing a C20 chip, a groundbreaking technology that can rectify moods. She is fired by her pharmaceutical employer once the chip threatens the company's bottom line; however, she steals the chip, resolving to later use it. From here, the film scatters outwards. We meet a priest (Gerard Daly), increasingly troubled by hallucinations and visions of a sinful nature, as well as a young Kirsty (Emma Dargan-Reed), who is sunk in lethargy and depression. She’s tied into a domestic situation involving Willem (Robert Dan O'Neill) and his wife and daughter, where he grows steadily more violent and deranged. Initially, these threads don’t quite connect, and we're introduced with a pile of competing premises.
However, where the film finds its firmest footing is the introduction of Billy (Liam Murphy), a chronically depressed character that Alice meets in the pub. He agrees to have the chip implanted, and from here the plot gains momentum. The sound design during the procedure sequence is unsettling, and the film benefits from some grounding in visceral and bodily sequences, in a way that the opening never manages. Dargan-Reed's performance also sharpens considerably, as well as the supporting cast in her orbit. This is where the film is at its best, in the eerie and unsettling, and in trying to grapple with the unfairness and nihilism of poor mental health, both for those suffering and for those trying to care for them.
The tone splinters between corporate drama, thriller, and horror without quite committing to any single one. Willem's arc, in particular, engages with a sensitive element of mental health in a way that could benefit from greater nuance. And yet, in terms of production, A Sunken Place’s achievement is notable. This film was shot on a microbudget of €85,000 with a skeleton crew of six, with real strengths to build on, solid performances and confident sound design chief among them.
A Sunken Place is in selected cinemas from 18th September 2026.
