Klaus Härö makes his English language debut with this sweet, sensitive film containing three superb central performances from James Cosmo, Catherine Walker and Brid Brennan.
Set in rural Ireland, specifically Achill Island, off County Mayo on the west coast of the country, My Sailor, My Love finds Howard (Cosmo) living alone in a remote house, far too big for his needs after the loss of his wife years before. His daughter Grace (Walker) is becoming extremely concerned for his well-being and health, and has put in a plan for him as he approaches the last period of his life. Before she can get him in a care home – he flat-out refuses – she hires a caretaker, Annie (Brennan), to look after him a couple of days a week. He washes his smalls in the sink – the house is far from clean, too – so the extra help will sort that, at the very least. Displeased with his daughter’s new appointment, Howard asks how much Annie is being paid. ‘”£400,” she says. Howard replies, “I’ll give you £500 for you to never bother me again”.
Annie is instantly annoyed and storms out, but a simple gesture leads the two to become closer and closer as the weeks go by and they form a close bond realising that this could be the last chance for love and companionship for the both of them.
In the background to all this, Grace is growing apart from her husband due to extensive work demands, including care for her ailing father and a change in her circumstances leads to the young woman growing increasingly cynical about her father’s relationship with Annie.
The film is wonderfully crafted, from Robert Nordström’s stunning vistas of coastal Ireland, and Michelino Bisceglia’s beautiful score to the well-paced direction from Härö. This could have easily come across as having the feel of a TV feature drama, but the skill behind and in front of the camera elevate this to a level to warrant its cinema release, even if it is one that finds it on limited screens. There’s a lot of sentiment involved in the proceedings but the tone never falls into cinematic schmaltz. This is a film about a relationship between two people potentially falling for one another, but also that between father and daughter, and it all works wonderfully. It’s about best intentions and underlying objectives and again, it is conveyed perfectly.
My Sailor, My Love is obviously aimed at a certain crowd, but I think most will walk away satisfied with an underplayed but effective, sensitive and powerful drama from a talented bunch of filmmakers.
My Sailor, My Love is UK & Irish Cinemas from 10th March.
My Sailor, My Love
Summary
A well-crafted and acted feature full of sentiment that’ll satisfy most audiences that warm to this kind of material.
