(spoiler free)
After his formidable performance in Chris Baugh’s Bad Day for the Cut (2017), actor Nigel O’Neill has once again found himself playing a local farmer caught in a spot of bother. Now, in John Carlin’s Lie of the Land, he stars as one half of farming couple the Wards, with Ali White playing opposite him as wife Cath. Up to their eyes in debt, the couple decide that their only option left is to disappear. Attempting to do so with the help of a suspicious stranger, it’s not long before their plans go south and the farm descends into chaos.
Joining the aforementioned Bad Day for the Cut, as well as titles such as The Dig (2018) and Doineann (2021) before it, Lie of the Land is the latest in an increasingly long line of rural Irish thrillers – and pretty good ones at that too. It’s unsurprising then that there’s an immediate sense of foreboding in Carlin’s feature debut. As the Ward’s round up their herd for the final time, it’s clear that something’s not right. The atmospheric score paired with the couple’s irritable moods creates a palpable sense of dread surrounding their so-called “retirement” plan. Have they made the right decision? What will people think? Have they saved enough money? All of these questions are running through their minds, especially Cath’s. But for audiences, it’s clear that their plans are doomed to fail – and sooner rather than later.
As a result the film’s first act plays out like a ticking time bomb, with audiences watching on helpless to intervene. Thankfully, the Wards aren’t the type of folk to go down without a fight though, and Lie of the Land quickly sees them forced into a brutal brawl between the barns and fields of their family farm. The setting is utlised well; being isolated and confined enough to create that tense feeling of claustrophobia, while also playing host to a wide enough variety of hideaways to keep things gripping. And it manages this quite well, only seeing one slight dip in suspense across its lean runtime, right before its fiery finale.
At the centre of all this aggression is the shady stranger who the Wards have naively entrusted their life savings to. Ironically, he calls himself Gabriel, but he’s certainly no guardian angel. Portrayed by a seriously sly Barry John Kinsella, his character shifts from good samaritan to heartless thug in the blink of an eye. It’s a cracking performance, and one that’s matched by both O’Neill’s and White’s. The pair excel at conveying the couple’s various bickerings, but also the deeper love and connection that overcomes any marital strife. Tara Hegarty’s adapted screenplay – based on her BBC Radio 4 play – even allows the leads to inject some humour into the proceedings as well. These small, seemingly throwaway gags actually give Lie of the Land and its characters a real sense of identity and place, and will no doubt play especially well to home crowds.
These brief moments offer some light relief amongst the taut mood, but with a succinct runtime that barely encroaches on the ninety-minute mark, there’s no real need for a breather. Some might be put off by the simplicity of it all, but there’s much to be said for a film getting straight to the point and not deviating too far from it. And when that point is delivered by a rifle-wielding Nigel O’Neill and Ali White, you know it’s worth a shot.
Written by Hamish Calvert
★★★
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