With an eerily prescient line of dialogue, "Omagh" is a devastating dramatization of a terrorist bombing by the Real IRA on August 15, 1998, killing 29 and injuring countless others. The terrorists only do this to make a point in a town in Northern Ireland where everybody else has learned to live in peace. The movie
starts on the morning with unbearable suspense, as the terrorists move into position to the town which is frequented by townspeople going about their business unaware. There is a warning but miscommunication leads to the people being evacuated in the wrong direction. And a lot of the film is spent exploring the authorities' mishandling of the tragedy. Remember that the government's role is to protect its citizens against threats like this.
"Omagh" uses its handheld camerawork and jump cuts to tell a powerfully personal story. Michael Gallagher(Gerald McSorley, who is superb) frantically searches for his son Aiden(Paul Kelly), who had gone into town to buy a pair of jeans, in the wake of the explosion. Later, after he buries his son, he becomes an accidental activist, using his eloquent voice to unite the victims' families, as the pain never quite goes away. However, in the search for answers, Michael is in danger of losing sight of what is truly important.
January 18, 2011
Top Critic
