Tarrac (2023)

Kelly Gough turns in quite a decent performance here as "Aoife". She's making quite a success of her life in Dublin but returns to her coastal Kerry home-town to look after her dad "Bear" (Lorcan Cranitch) who is recovering from an heart attack. Their relationship is civil but chilly and he'd probably sooner she said hello and then went back home, but his declaration that he's going to go clear his lobster pots next morning followed by a slight scare not only convinces her that she must a stay a while, but it also gets her back behind the oars again. Again? Yep - she was once quite an accomplished oarswoman coming from a family that was quite adept in the water. Quickly reunited with childhood pals "Jude" (Kate Nic Chonoanaigh) and "Aisling" (Kate Finegan) and cajoling "Naomi" (Rachel Feeney) into completing their four - they decide to have a crack at the "Munster Cup". They are well meaning amateurs - whose reward for the discipline of training is a couple of bottles. Can she galvanise them - each with their own conflicting priorities - and make the team a success? The rowing elements of this film, and the competitive banter, are quite well filmed and expressed. Sadly, though, it's gradually dragged down by the obligatory emotional baggage - the "where was dad when mam died?" or "where was dad when I was growing up?" kind of stuff that seems there to give the characters a bit of depth, but really just serves as some completely unnecessary emotional flagellation when just focussing on their story of perseverance and determination would have carried the story so much better. There's a gently effective contribution from Cillian O'Gairbhi's "Noellie" who at least shows some practical wisdom, and the last ten minutes in the water give us some indication of just how hard this open water sport is. Pity about the melodrama, but worth a watch.