Pat O’Connor’s 1984 Northern Irish film CAL stands as a testament to the power of restraint in storytelling, proving that the most profound emotions often emerge from the quietest moments. Adapted by Bernard MacLaverty from his own novel, this remarkable work transcends the typical treatment of the Troubles, offering instead a deeply human meditation on guilt, love, and the impossible weight of secrets.
Helen Mirren’s Cannes-winning performance anchors the film as Marcella, a Catholic woman whose Protestant police officer husband has been murdered by the IRA. The killer’s reluctant accomplice was Cal, played with gaunt intensity by John Lynch in what would become his breakout role. This devastating irony forms the film’s emotional core: Cal, haunted by his complicity in destroying Marcella’s life, finds himself inexorably drawn to the very woman he has wronged.
The film’s genius lies in its patience. In an era of explosive action and melodrama, CAL moves with the deliberate rhythm of grief itself. Cal and his gentle father, beautifully portrayed by Donal McCann, are forced from their Protestant neighborhood by loyalist gangs, leaving them adrift in a landscape of perpetual threat. When Cal finds work at Marcella’s farm and shelter in her outbuilding, the stage is set for a romance that unfolds with almost unbearable tension.
What emerges is a love story unlike any other, where the principals don’t share so much as a kiss until more than an hour into the film. This restraint serves the story brilliantly, building an atmosphere of suppressed longing that makes every glance, every moment of proximity, electric with possibility and dread. The Protestant family members who take pity on Cal, played with exceptional skill by Ray McAnally and Catherine Gibson, add layers of complexity to what could have been a simple sectarian narrative.
O’Connor finds dark humor in the bleakest circumstances, particularly in scenes involving Cal’s manipulative friend Crilly and the local republican hardman Skeffington. A sequence where Cal reluctantly serves as getaway driver for a cinema robbery during a screening of SUPERMAN III provides both comic relief and a reminder of how ordinary people become trapped in extraordinary circumstances. The film’s attention to period detail is remarkable, from Sinn Féin posters featuring Martin McGuinness to the authentic texture of rural Irish life in the 1980s.
The countryside becomes almost a character itself, echoing the pastoral tradition of Thomas Hardy as Cal works the potato fields alongside other laborers. These sequences ground the film’s romantic elements in physical reality, suggesting that love, like farming, requires both patience and faith in uncertain outcomes. The contrast between the brutal urban violence of the Troubles and the timeless rhythms of agricultural work creates a powerful counterpoint to the central relationship.
When Mirren and Lynch finally come together, their love scene stands as a masterclass in depicting intimacy with honesty and dignity. Nothing feels exploitative or gratuitous; instead, we witness two damaged souls finding temporary solace in each other’s arms, even as the audience knows their connection is built on a foundation of terrible deception. Mirren brings to Marcella a complexity that goes far beyond the typical grieving widow, while Lynch invests Cal with a vulnerability that makes his impossible situation genuinely tragic.
The film’s lasting power comes from its refusal to offer easy answers or false hope. Cal’s love for Marcella is real and transformative, but it cannot erase his guilt or change the fundamental impossibility of their situation. This moral complexity elevates CAL above simple melodrama, creating instead a work that honors both the reality of political violence and the persistence of human connection in the face of overwhelming odds.
Nearly four decades after its original release, CAL remains a pinnacle of British and Irish cinema, a film that trusts its audience to engage with difficult emotions and moral ambiguity. Its rerelease offers contemporary viewers a chance to experience a work of rare maturity and compassion, one that finds profound beauty in the most unlikely circumstances while never minimizing the cost of violence or the weight of conscience.
CAL is in UK and Irish cinemas from 13 June.
🏆 RIVALS just scooped the International Emmy for Best Drama Series!
The Disney+ hit starring Irish talents Aidan Turner and Victoria Smurfit brought home the gold for this deliciously scandalous 1980s romp through the world of wealthy media types.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
From THE COMMITMENTS to THE TUDORS to KIN, @mariadoylekennedy has built a career that defies categories.
In a brand new interview with The Irish Examiner, Maria opens up about the artists and art that shaped her creative journey—from her Dublin roots to international screens and stages.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
🎭 From Shakespeare to a Beatle: Paul Mescal is doing the impossible!
Oscar-nominated Irish actor Paul Mescal is taking on TWO iconic roles that prove he`s one of the most fearless actors working today.
Watch Paul`s latest interview at irishfilmtv.com.
Kerry Condon`s brief but powerful performance in TRAIN DREAMS is pitch perfect.
She inhabits her character with quiet competence, moving through a male-dominated world with both caution and grace.
Watch now on @netflix!
🎬 HAMNET stars to receive Vanguard Award at the Palm Springs International Film Awards!
A stunning meditation on love`s fragility and art`s power to transform suffering into transcendence. This is Irish talent at its absolute finest on the world stage.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Netflix just quietly dropped a crime thriller you`ve been sleeping on, and Brendan Gleeson`s performance alone makes it mandatory viewing.
MR MERCEDES, Stephen King`s dark detective series that somehow flew under the radar, is finally streaming – and it`s everything fans of slow-burn psychological thrillers have been craving.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Andrew Scott is about to steal another movie and we`re absolutely here for it! 🔍
The trailer for WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY has dropped, and our beloved Irish actor is joining Daniel Craig`s Benoit Blanc for what looks like the most deliciously twisted instalment yet.
Scott plays bestselling author Lee Ross, one of several suspects in a seemingly impossible murder that rocks a small town`s religious community.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
From GLADIATOR II`s arena to the quiet forests of Maine collecting folk songs on wax cylinders—Paul Mescal`s latest role in THE HISTORY OF SOUND might be his most vulnerable yet.
Now on @amazonprime, the film follows Lionel, a shy musician from a Kentucky farm in the 1910s, who meets David White (Josh O`Connor) at the New England Conservatory.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
For more than two decades, Domhnall Gleeson has carved out one of the most diverse and compelling careers in contemporary cinema.
Watch Domhnall break down his career in his latest @esquire interview!
Link in bio ❤️
Adapted from Louise Kennedy`s bestselling novel, TRESPASSES stars Gillian Anderson as executive producer and cast member.
Kennedy praises the "ear-perfect, sexy script" and "gorgeously melancholic aesthetic vision" that brings her Women`s Prize-shortlisted novel to life.
Premieres Sunday 9pm on Channel 4, more at irishfilmtv.com.
THE IRIS AFFAIR is a high-stakes chase thriller that turns Italy into a deadly playground where genius meets danger.
Created by LUTHER mastermind Neil Cross, this Sky Original delivers cinematic tension where trust is fatal and every move could be your last. Two minds. One secret. No escape.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
** NEW TRAILER ALERT **
Roadside Attractions has unveiled the first trailer for H IS FOR HAWK, and it`s breathtaking. Brendan Gleeson appears as the father whose absence shapes everything, bringing his signature depth to a role that haunts the entire film.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
🎬 HAMNET has officially overtaken Paul Thomas Anderson`s ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER as the Oscar frontrunner!
Chloé Zhao`s Shakespeare-inspired drama now leads with a 96.8% chance of nomination, fueled by its Telluride buzz and Toronto People`s Choice win.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
The DERRY GIRLS creator is back with HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM BELFAST — and it`s the show Lisa McGee says she`s always wanted to make. 🍀
Three childhood friends. One mysterious death. A wake that goes sideways. Eight episodes of chaos, secrets, and arguments about eyelash extensions.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Pierce Brosnan trades his 007 tuxedo for raw, devastating drama in CURTAIN CALL—arriving on digital November 10.
Starring opposite Jessica Lange, Brosnan continues his brilliant pivot from action hero to serious character actor, exploring the heartbreaking reality of dementia in the theatre world.
Watch trailer on irishfilmtv.com.
