Christy

his raw but ultimately optimistic feature film debut by Irish director Brendan Canty is a socially realistic drama about brotherly love and resilience. Seventeen-year-old Christy is kicked out of his foster home and is forced to move in with his older half-brother Shane's family. 

Although Shane sees the situation as temporary, Christy quickly feels at home and is lovingly welcomed into the close-knit community of Northside, a working-class neighbourhood in Cork. The two estranged brothers clash when Christy comes into contact with the bad influences that Shane wants to protect him from, even though he also wants him to find his own way. Christy is a moving and not unhumorous coming-of-age film about two brothers who must reconcile their turbulent past in the hope of a future. With convincing performances from a young cast, a strong soundtrack and a strikingly portrayed sense of community.

Christy premiered earlier this year at the 75th Berlinale, where it won the Grand Prix Internationale Jury for Best Feature Film in the Generation 14plus section. Director Brendan Canty, who previously directed music videos for Hozier, among others, based the film on his 2019 short film of the same name.