A NEW film drama focusing on the struggles of a newly-evicted Dublin family-of-six and their search for accommodation has been earning rave reviews.
Rosie stars Sarah Greene as Rosie Davis, a mother desperately trying to protect her family after their landlord sells their rented home, leaving them homeless in the process.
Set over the course of just 36 frantic hours, it serves as a timely showcase of the struggles facing many families in Ireland left to fend for themselves in similar circumstances.
Based on a screenplay from Irish literary legend Roddy Doyle, the film centres on Rosie and her partner John Paul (Moe Dunford), as they try to remedy a situation entirely beyond their control.
Directed by Paddy Breathnach, best known for I Went Down and Viva, the film has been noted for its realism, successfully capturing the chaos of this all-too-real scenario and the panic, frustration, and shame felt by those in these kinds of circumstances.
Filmed in long takes using handheld cameras, Breathnach infuses a sense of urgency and disorder to proceedings, with the action moving at a frantic speed in keeping with the urgency of the central plot.
Due to be released in Ireland on October 14th, Rosie has already been earning rave reviews after it was screened at the Toronto Film Festival.
"A quietly, gradually heartbreaking portrait of regular people coping with a desperate situation," Leslie Felperin, of The Hollywood Reporter said.
"Rosie may not be very original, but the message of this film is important, and in delivery it is warm, urgent and terribly affecting," Pamela Hutchinson of Sight and Sound added.
"Any moment of unbridled joy seems destined to be shattered by an unfortunate turn of events," Kaleem Aftab of Cineuropa reflected.
"That being said, the family dynamic is full of love and tenderness, and it is to the film's credit that it is at pains to avoid any accusations of miserabilism."
Rosie arrives in cinemas on October 14th.
