Da (1988)

'It was a long time before I realuzed that love turned upside down is love for all that.'

Adapted by Leonard from his memory play, tapping into his own accomplished memoirs, the film covers a childhood and early career before and after Ireland’s ‘Emergency’. The script’s strong, a nuanced look at an adolescent’s and expat’s shifting feelings about home and the past. Its conceits translate well, too: Charlie faces both his late father and his younger self, disappointed by his past, present, and future. The characters and cast are grand, especially Hughes (who won a Tony for the stage role). The weakest links are the prodigal/producer Sheen and a dodgy timeline. Watch the film. But read the play.