@Courtesy of GFM Animation
How can a little girl not love dogs? Even in Ireland, Mary O’Hara must surely have grown up with Snoopy and Clifford. Nonetheless, she inherited a fear of canines [perhaps unfairly] from her grandmother, Emer, along with her love of “cookery.” Both those inheritances skipped her mother Scarlett, who took on quite a literary name when she married Mary’s father, Paddy O’Hara. Despite personality differences, the three generations will come to better understand each other during the grandmother’s final days in Enzo D’Alo’s animated feature A Greyhound of a Girl, based on Paddy Doyle’s mildly fantastical young adult novel, which releases this Friday.
Unbeknownst to her mother, O’Hara’s “Grand” escorted her to the try-outs for a prestigious culinary summer school. When the snobby judges fail to appreciate her unconventional inspiration, her grandmother gives them an earful. Maybe it takes too much out of her, because later that night, the O’Hara family must rush Emer to the hospital. Unfortunately, Dr. Patel fears she has little time left.
For young Mary, the news comes as a double blow, since her best friend will also soon relocate to England. However, a strange woman has a knack for consoling her. In fact, the mysterious Tansey claims to be a friend of her grandmother, even though Mary never met her before. They certainly have similar tastes, considering Tansey knows the secret ingredient Mary needs to cook her grandmother’s favorite dish, colcannon, a sort of Irish mashed potatoes made with cabbage, or in Emer’s case, kale.
@Courtesy of GFM Animation
Scarlett O’Hara assumes Tansey must be an imaginary friend, but most viewers will have a better ghostly guess. D’Alo’s goal is not to surprise or shock. His adaptation of Doyle’s novel, co-written with Dave Ingham, is a warm, delicately bittersweet story of multi-generational reconciliation (as well as human-canine reconciliation), told with a healthy dose of [animated] magical realism. This is definitely a tale of mothers and daughters, even though O’Hara’s father is also an affectionate and engaged parent. Even her knuckleheaded brothers are decent kids.
Indeed, A Greyhound of a Girl deserves to become a staple for mother’s days. The animated figures (designed by Peter De Seve) are a bit “cartoony,” but in an endearing way. On the other hand, the backgrounds (designed by Thomas Von Kummant) are truly lovely, especially the lush country landscapes. Fittingly, the film’s color palate features many rich shades of green, but Mary’s dream sequences—flashbacks to her grandmother’s childhood, as seen through the eyes of her misunderstood pet greyhound—are starkly realized in a charcoal-like semi-abstract style.
D’Alo remains better known in Europe than America, thanks to his hit film Lucky and Zorba and a popular TV adaptation of the long-running Italian comic strip, Pimpa. Yet, he shows a nice affinity for the inherent Irishness of Doyle’s source novel. David Rhodes’ upbeat, lilting score further reinforces the Gaelic vibes. Rhodes also co-wrote several original songs with Doyle that are quite catchy.
Brendan Gleeson brings the old Irish charm as Papa Paddy, while Mia O’Connor nicely expresses the heightened drama of adolescence Mary so keenly feels. Rosaleen Linehan sounds like nurturing personified as Emer. The entire voiceover cast captures the humanity of Doyle’s story, but perhaps the richest vocal performance comes from Sharon Horgan as Mary’s no-nonsense mother, who eventually opens her mind to more spiritual possibilities. (Plus, look for Doyle himself in an aptly bookish “cameo.”)
This is a gentle film, but it connects in big, possibly even therapeutic ways. Its subject matter is appropriate for all ages, including grown-ups, who should appreciate the distinctive score and the wise and wistful way it portrays a family facing impending mortality. Highly recommended, A Greyhound of a Girl releases this Friday (11/1).
@Courtesy of GFM Animation
Grade: A-
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