Critical Acclaim for 'Glassland' Which Opens in Cinemas Today in Ireland and the UK
Glassland, the new film from Gerard Barrett (Pilgrim Hill), is released in Irish and UK cinemas from today (April 17th), and has opened to strong reviews in Irish and UK media. The film stars Jack Reynor (What Richard Did), Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine), Will Poulter (The Maze Runner) and Michael Smiley (The World’s End).
Glassland was written and directed by Gerard Barrett and was produced by Ed Guiney and Juliette Bonass for Element Pictures in association with Nine Entertainment. The film is distributed by Element Pictures Distribution and was financed by the Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board and Element Pictures Distribution.
See here for a list of cinemas playing Glassland in Ireland and the UK.
Following are a highlight of reviews of Glassland.
The Irish Times (4/5): “Thoughtful study of a family struggling with alcoholism is harrowing but ultimately uplifting... Collette does equally strong work with a personality that is shrouded in addiction to the point of total concealment. An actor who is never afraid of spilling the emotional guts, she is frighteningly convincing in her screaming torment”
The Irish Daily Star (4/5): “Among Barrett’s many triumphs here is his casting of Reynor, a gifted and charismatic lead... Collette meanwhile is typically wonderful in what is almost an impossible role... it’s a powerful and compelling watch.”
The Guardian (4/5): “...the film leaves you feeling raw and tender, thanks particularly to the knockout performances from the small cast, especially Collette. Nailing the accent, she brings shapes and shadows to a challenging role that, for a change, is worthy of her talent. Reynor is no less impressive in the more reactive part, while Will Poulter shines as John’s feckless, luckier friend.”
The Herald (4/5): “In Reynor's safe pair of hands, the audience will empathise keenly with John. There is genuine pain and conflict in those baby blues. Reynor picked up a Best Actor award at Sundance for his portrayal of John, and he manages a high-wire feat of stoicism and despair.”
Total Film (4/5): “Poulter is funny and believably boy-next-door, his accent flawless; Michael Smiley brings hard-won compassion as an alcohol counsellor and Collette gives one of the best performances of her career. But this is Reynor’s film and he holds the screen like a pro – always thinking, tapping, twitching with silent fury.”
RTÉ Ten (5/5): “This is a masterful study of addiction, family and resilience... Amazing what a cast and crew can achieve together in two-and-a-half weeks. You'll be doing well if another film moves you more this year.
Entertainment.ie (5/5): “Pilgrim Hill was no fluke. Glassland, Gerard Barrett's follow up to his micro-budgeted debut, is every bit as good as his first... The entire cast is flawless... Make no bones about it - Gerard Barrett is a major talent.”
Irish Examiner: “Glassland represents incredible work as the second film from a very young filmmaker. And it’s amazing to see Barrett literally learning on the job, finding his feet as a director and his own specific voice which we’ll see refined further in future efforts.”
NME (8/10): "Barrett has found formidable collaborators in Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense) and Jack Reynor (Transformers: Age Of Extinction), who are utterly compelling as a mother filling her emotional emptiness with alcohol and her patient, heartbroken son, trying to keep it all together. This is lean, sharp filmmaking in the spirit of Ken Loach or Alan Bleasdale: Glassland may be bleak and brittle, but hope burns like fire at its heart."
The Telegraph (4/5): "...in its rage and its pain, in the wire-brush scrub it gives to the movies’ woozily romantic notions of alcoholism, Glassland feels wholly honest and true.”