Stones in His Pockets review – immersive revival of the rural Ireland film shoot tragicomedy

Seeming optimist Charlie (Gerard McCabe), with a script in his pocket, and bitter pessimist Jake (Shaun Blaney), newly returned from a failed attempt to make it in New York, both hope that the film will offer them a way out of their dead ends. The script bounces them through ups and downs of encounters with film personnel (assistants, star, minder, director – each cliche of the type, vividly embodied) to an upbeat resolution. By contrast, Jake’s younger cousin Sean’s dreams are all humiliatingly dashed when he tries to approach the film’s female lead. His are the pockets tragically filled with stones at the end of the first act.