Gemma Creagh keeps her balance on Black Ice, which screened as part of the 11th Jameson Dublin International Film Festival (14-24 February 2013)
Black Ice
Wed, 20th February
Light House 1
20.50
Black Ice begins when an uneasy and distraught local, Alice returns to her hometown near the border for the funeral of her young friend. After this, a series of flashbacks reveal the events leading up to the crash that caused her brother, Tom and his girlfriend to lose their lives.
This slow-paced thriller examines the dangerous relationship between young people and speed, as then schoolgirl Alice falls for the mysterious, delinquent boy-racer, Jimmy – played by Love/Hate’s Killian Scott. Alice loses her innocence quickly as she finds herself hurtling down the road and into a world of fast cars and corruption.
Featuring some excellent performances from the latest wave of national talent, as well as some fantastically electric chase sequences, Black Ice proves that you can certainly get value for money in these recessionary times with a low-budget feature.
The enthusiastic and elated Johnny Gogan got up to speak after the screening; first introducing us to the film’s stars, Jane McGrath and Killian Scott before then getting down to a quick Q & A. Johnny chatted to us about his inspiration for the film, with black ice being representative of losing control at the end of the Celtic Tiger; about how he got many offers on his own petrol-head-style car, even one from a Leitrim criminal; about working with Brian on the script, as they completely reworked it before the shoot; about where all the feature’s funds came from and finally about his main character, Alice:
‘As a character she’s a survivor. She’s an iconic character for the times we live in. There’s a toughness about her but there’s a morality about her as well – the fact that she doesn’t have it earlier is because she’s young. As the viewer you’re growing up with her and discovering that with her.’
Gemma Creagh
