Lauren Gallagher checks in for mental health dramady-drama, Crazy Love.
Crazy Love is an irreverent addition to the growing body of Irish films engaging with mental health and isolation. The film blends romance and dark humour in a way that feels refreshingly offbeat. Co-directed by Jason Byrne and Kevin Treacy, the narrative follows Clayton (John Connors), a troubled young man who voluntarily admits himself to a psychiatric unit. There, he forms a deep bond with fellow patient Anna (Jade Jordan), a woman who remains in long-term institutional care.
Connors is very much the emotional core of the film, bringing a wit and vulnerability rarely seen in his previous screen roles in the likes of Love/Hate, The Gentleman and Cardboard Gangsters. Opposite him, Jordan brings a warmth to Anna that prevents the character from ever feeling defined solely by her diagnosis. Together, they build a tender and quite innocent relationship. Among the supporting cast, Graham Earley stands out, delivering levity and nuance in a performance that is perfectly in step with the film’s difficult tonal balancing act.
You see, what works best about Crazy Love is its ability to move between genuinely difficult subject matter and moments of unexpected mirth. While much of Irish cinema has traditionally explored alienation through stark social realism, Byrne and Treacy’s direction leans into absurdity and playfulness without ever undermining the subject matter. As Connors noted in discussion around the film, the aim was to approach the material by “shining a light in the darkness.” This philosophy is upheld throughout its runtime, reflecting the distinctly Irish instinct to meet hardship with humour.
Crazy Love is built on the premise that these characters are more than just the struggles they carry. Rather than presenting case studies, the ensemble has been given space to explore desire, humour and intimacy. One of the plot’s major conflicts begins whenAnna and Clayton begin to form a relationship (something that is allowed between patients in this facility). Anna’s doctors fear that Clayton could be taking advantage of Anna. They make the argument that she lacks the capacity to consent.
Jordan's performance as Anna presents a far more nuanced picture, and the audience is left to draw their own conclusions. Can Clayton and Anna have an adult, mutually consensual relationship despite their diagnoses, even if only platonic in nature, or are they ultimately bad for each other?
Behind the scenes, Crazy Love was very much a collaborative effort. Conceived by Connors, who also serves as producer, the script was initially commissioned from writer Dylan Stagno. It was developed further with input from the creative team, including Treacy, who also worked as director of photography. The production was largely self-funded in its early stages before receiving additional support from Screen Ireland, underscoring its status as a genuine passion project.
Connors has spoken openly about his personal connection to the film’s themes, lending an added layer of sincerity to its exploration of mental health and connection. In both a brief conversation before the screening and the post-film Q&A, he discussed his own experiences with mental health struggles, as well as losing his father to suicide.
Premiering earlier at the Oldenburg Film Festival, where Connors received the Seymour Cassel Award for Best Actor, Crazy Love arrived at DIFF with a sense of momentum, centred on characters who are messy, funny and vulnerable. This blend of rawness, romance and humour may sit slightly outside the conventions of social drama, but it's precisely what gives the film its appeal.
Crazy Love screened at the Dublin International Film Festival on 26th February 2026.
