User reviews

Jack McCartney gets a phone call in America asking him to go home to see his dying father. They have been estranged for 20 years and had a difficult relationship before that. He returns to his home and things are still difficult between them but slowly they reconcile. Having had a difficult relationship with my Irish father and losing him just over a year ago,the film touched a nerve. Both characters are emotionally stunted with each other and have to learn to speak to each other without losing it. There are bright moments too involving 2 local kids and a horse (rosy) and a splash of romance with an American divorcée.

It's a film I think I would have enjoyed with my father who could be as grumpy as Larry Mcarty in the film.

This is yet another gem of an Irish film. I saw it last night at the Israel Irish film festival in Tel Aviv, in the presence of the director, the writer and the lead actor. One Gerard Hurley, although, as he admitted, he is not a professional actor at all. In fact this film, set in County Cork, has only three professional actors.

The story is simple. A sick father "cons" his absentee son in New York into returning to his hometown to help him recover outstanding debts. The interaction between these two is central to the film and Gerard confirmed to me after the film, that the actor playing his father, Karl Johnson, is actually Welsh although sometimes fathoming out his west Cork accent was sometimes difficult.

Along the way, our hero mets a divorcée from New York and a platonic relationship develops until she returns home. A simple story never bores and many of the other players, presumably locals from this small town in Ireland, add to a typically delightful Irish story.

The scenery is fantastic and the whole film, made on a shoestring with help from the Irish film board, was made in 8 days filming in Ireland and two days in New York. Perhaps the only give away is that it never rains once in the film. Its a pity that IMDb does not list all the players because I would like to single out the angelic older little boy.

The film is unlikely to get wide distribution. Its an Indie and it does not have big names or any money for promotion. But if you get the chance, see it, provided you don't find the regular swearing offensive.

One thing I would like to add is about the Hebrew subtitles. Some of you might know the word eejut (idiot for the rest of you). Clearly the subtitle writers did not and could not find it in a dictionary. So there it was in Hebrew, phonetically spelled as eejut!

I saw this Film at he IFI in Dublin last Sunday, it was an accident that I wound up seeing it, but I'm so glad that I did. I was a little concerned initially because I heard in the lobby it was a low budget and an "indie" film and that can just be an excuse for bad work these days. However I was really blown away by this film I got drawn in straight away by the incredibly strong performances by Gerard Hurley and Karl Johnson and the beauty of the landscape.

About half way through the story could hear a lot of sniffing around the cinema because the film really begins to hit people because it is very moving without been manipulative . By the end of the film I was gutted my self by the sincerity of the ending. The soundtrack was great and L the film Lili Taylor who I like a lot was great also , I just wish she was in it a little more.

A really beautiful film, if you have a chance go see it.

A beautifully poignant and understated film. Beautifully observed and handled with feeling. The casting was great. I thought the script worked well, not sure why it had to show any cleverness. It isn't that type of film. I loved it. Not everything has to have a famous leading man and be a big Hollywood production. Hurley did a great job all round.

Im glad people out there really like this, but i'ts not for everyone. The acting and characters were great but the story was monotonous, sad and just went nowhere. I'm all for a real story but give me something! No romance, no real resolutions, no connections. I like all genre's but this was depressing. I barely made it to the end.

This is a great little film with no B.S,. Just a straight from the heart piece.Honest hard hitting and moving without been manipulative. Made on a very low budget In Ireland with Lili Taylor and Karl Johnson and Gerard Hurley who also wrote and directed The Pier. The film is set in rural contemporary Ireland and avoids the clichés and the regular hipness that indie's portray. Again this film is just honest and perhaps a little to sincere for an American audience, but I feel if it gets to cinema's it will win people over, despite the lack of big names. Beautiful locations and really great quality acting and soundtrack. The camera work was a little off but over all excellent work, well worth seeing. I saw this film in the Cleveland film festival and was really surprised that it did not get any awards..but then again I'm not sure what that means anymore.

This was clearly a labour of love for writer/director/star Hurley. However, this passionate approach to film-making often fails - and I speak as someone who has been a participant in a few such films. When someone writes, directs and stars they often lose perspective, are unable to be critical, don't listen well to the advice of others. I suspect that may have happened here. Hurley isn't a terrible actor, but he's not leading man material. The script isn't laughable but it's also lacking in any sparkle or cleverness. The direction regarding the actors and cinematography is somewhere around undergraduate film school level. I felt bad for Lili Taylor, she's a great actor and is given nothing to work with. I watched this with three other people. Two of us fell asleep half way through and all of agreed that the two who fell asleep had the better experience.

As an American indie filmmaker, I love these sorts of Irish dramas. RUN AND JUMP is similar story. Their dramatic arc is smooth and steady, despite all the problems, much like life itself. Wish I could see more like it. Laugh out loud Irishisms soften much of the sting with a sense of duty and love despite the worst slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. The beauty in the people, the wardrobe, the settings is memorable and striking. Great film.

I really enjoyed this gem of a movie. A wonderful cast,and a tender script. The pacing is perfect and so is the soundtrack. Do yourself a favour and watch it.

Saw this at the Maine IFF this year, I had only seen one Irish film before this and that was called "The Guard" I left after a half hour..it was terrible.So I went into "The Pier" with little to no expectation and I didn't care much for the first 10min.....but I got hooked on the 11th min and I was so glad I stayed ..this was a beautiful story about a father son relationship, it was told in a bittersweet way that was heart breaking. The performances were really good and the two little boys were so cute. I loved the old lady June I think that was her name..The guy that played the father was great, he was complicated and really well developed. I would highly recommend this film..but be warned bring the tissues ,it's a tear jerker , but with that said I never felt I was been manipulated.the only bad thing was the production value could have been better..but it's a must see.

I watched Manchester By The Sea followed by The Pier. Although the production values weren't comparable, The Pier is a far better film. Karl Johnson is brilliant in every performance I've seen. I don't begrudge Casey Affleck his Oscar but his performance in MBTS fades into obscurity compared with Mr. Johnson's. in this funny, emotional low budget movie. It only goes to highlight the absurdity of award ceremonies when brilliant acting is rewarded with nothing. I highly recommend The Pier although I'm Welsh and the Irish accent may be too difficult to comprehend by some.