by FilmInk Staff
The new WA-shot Aussie musical-themed drama Almost With You with a distinctly Irish flavour.
As anyone within spitting distance of the Australian film industry knows, it’s not easy getting local films in front of audiences in cinemas, especially in decent enough numbers to generate solid box office results. The makers of the new Aussie drama Almost With You, however, may very well have hit upon an ingenious strategy to jump this considerable hurdle. That strategy? Irish people.
As anyone who lives in Sydney’s Randwick or Melbourne’s St. Kilda will likely know, there is a huge Irish diaspora in Australia…and they will hopefully give the nation’s Irish bars and pubs a temporary rest to check out Almost With You, which stars acclaimed Irish singer-songwriter Declan O’Rourke. The charismatic performer takes on his first screen role as Brendan Kelly, an Irish musician at the end of a solo Australian tour who finds himself in a remote coastal town in Western Australia with an uncharacteristic five days off before the last show of the tour. Still devastated by the recent loss of his brother and musical partner Lorcan (played in flashbacks by Irish-Australian singer-songwriter Darren “Gallie” Gallagher), Brendan is captivated by the community spirit of the town and especially by the woman charged with looking after him before his show, Sarah (Australian actress Chloe Hurst).
Directed by Aussie filmmaker Adam Morris (Frank And Frank, Edward And Isabella), the film features nine key songs written and performed by O’Rourke, with additional music by Irish superstar Luka Bloom, alongside cameos from legendary Indigenous actor/musician Stephen Pigram, major discovery Michael Sheehy, former Panics frontman Jae Laffer, and the Albany Shantymen vocal group.
In a major coup, Almost With You has been selected to have its world premiere at Ireland’s leading film festival, The Galway Film Fleadh, in July, ahead of Australian festival dates before an eventual national theatrical release later this year.
What’s the craic? It might just be Almost With You…
Stay tuned for more on Almost With You
