When you think of animation in Ireland, your mind will automatically deviate to Cartoon Saloon. The Irish studio has seen its work nominated at the Oscars four times, and Wolfwalkers stands as one of the best animated features of the last 20 years. But it would be wrong to say Cartoon Saloon are the only ones rendering Ireland, its people, and its history in imaginative ways. A Greyhound of a Girl, a collaboration between seven countries and six different production companies, favours a slightly less fantastical approach. Instead, it focuses on family, heritage, and uncertainty in the face of change to provide a moving and contemplative film of relatedness.
Based on Roddy Doyle's novel of the same name, A Greyhound of a Girl premiered at Berlinale last year. It revolves around 11-year-old Mary (Mia O'Connor), an aspiring chef and a girl whose closest friend is her elderly granny Emer (Rosaleen Linehan). They are “peas in a pod,” as Emer puts it. However, when her granny falls ill, Mary is left grappling with her decline and an increasingly fraught relationship with her mother (Sharon Horgan) and father (The Banshees of Inisherin's Brendan Gleeson). At the same time, Mary begins to have strange dreams and is visited by a mysterious woman calling herself Anastasia (Charlene McKenna) who may be a figment of Mary's imagination.
The animation doesn't possess an in-your-face breathtaking quality, but it doesn't need to. Right from the opening shots, which feel wonderfully evocative of Kiki's Delivery Service, director Enzo D'Alò demonstrates patience and an eye for appreciating the grandeur of the Irish countryside. With rolling green hills, idyllic settings and homely-looking suburbs, A Greyhound of a Girl immediately saturates you in a deep appreciation of the richness of its setting, drawing you into the world of its characters and making their story feel like one of your own. The characters are wonderfully brought to life. Every one of them has a glint in their eye and retains an elegance that doesn't depend on an overload of expressive detail.
The style varies when D'Alò dives into granny's memories or puts you in Mary's shoes so that you directly experience her dreams. It takes on a hand-drawn, roughly sketched quality that divides dreams from reality, a divide that becomes increasingly negotiable as the narrative unfolds and the truth about Mary's new friend comes to light. Granny's memories feel tender and nostalgic but are laced with the inevitable feeling of something slipping away. For a family film, A Greyhound of a Girl is very bold in its depiction of death and dying. A reunion between Emer and a figure from her past is enough to make you cry, and the finale possesses the quiet sombreness of Coco without perhaps the sensational crescendo (which would have been uncalled for anyway). Instead, the sentiment is summarised in one simple, recurring saying, “It will all be grand,” a sentiment that becomes all the more affecting as the story goes on. This forward-thinking and loving drama places death at the heart of a young girl's experience of turmoil and change, combining tragedy with warmth for a tightly-knit, intimate film.
However, there are moments of joy and laughter that overwhelmingly gel with this tone, which allows Mary's cheeky and brutally honest personality to shine. A daring hospital escape with Emer indulges in borderline slapstick to great effect, and Mary's two brothers provide a much-needed dose of sideline entertainment. Most of the film's beating heart comes from the relatable and realistic family dynamic. Gleeson is in tender form as father Paddy, if perhaps a little underused, and the bond between the four generations of women feels so unshakable thanks to how naturally the conversations between the performers feel. The young Mia O'Connor in particular looks set for a bright future, if her emotive and endlessly charming showing as Mary is anything to go by.
A Greyhound of a Girl is at times a beautiful and unforgiving watch. The animation and design draw you in with a welcoming, tender embrace before refusing to let go as the final destination becomes increasingly apparent. It makes for a deeply moving tale of change and family in the face of great loss, one that will unfortunately never lose its relevance or poignancy as new generations come and go.
A Greyhound of a Girl is released in UK cinemas on 28th June 2024.
