WATCH: Roddy Doyle’s ‘Rosie’ is the new Irish film we need to see

Ireland currently finds itself in the grip of a housing crisis, so the timing for the release of this new film Rosie could not be more appropriate.

The movie, directed by Paddy Breathnach and with a screenplay by Roddy Doyle, depicts the story of Rosie. Played by Sarah Greene, Rosie struggles to protect her young family when they become homeless. Sarah and her partner John Paul, played by Moe Dunford, find themselves with nowhere to go when their landlord decides to sell their rented property.

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The story takes place over 36 hours as both Rosie and John Paul try to protect and conceal their children from their grim reality. Viewers are taken along on their journey as Rosie, with a phone in hand, tries desperately to secure accommodation for her family – for even one night.

This is Roddy Doyle’s first screenplay in a decade, and with films like Family and The Snapper, he has never shied away from difficult topics dominating the Irish landscape (no matter how uncomfortable they may be). Homelessness is at the centre of the Irish topical landscape, with almost 10,000 people across the country currently in emergency accommodation. Doyle was very much aware of this.

He was inspired to write the screenplay after hearing the story of a homeless woman on the radio. She spent her days contacting hotels trying to find a room for her partner and her five children. Speaking to the Guardian Doyle says, “She mentioned that her partner had not been able to help her [look for a room] because he was at work, and that really made me think.

“This was a perfectly functional working-class family doing what society would like them to do – he goes off to work and she looks after the children in that traditional way. And yet the one thing missing was a home”.

The film gained rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival recently, and critics here at home are also sharing positive affirmations, with the Irish Times describing it as, “A necessary Irish film.”

This is a relevant, thought-provoking film that we won’t want to miss.

Rosie goes on general release in Ireland from the 12th of October.

Watch the trailer here: