Garage is a 2007 realist (even hyper-realist) film by Irish director Lenny Abramson. The film centers on the daily life of Josie (a petrol station worker who lives in a small Irish village) and the social relations he holds with his neighbor villagers.
One of the most interesting aspects of the film is the interpretation of Pat Shortt embodying the naïve Josie. The protagonist of the film is an adorable simpleton who enjoys his banal life and his boring employment at the petrol station. Despite of his utter solitude, everything seems to be alright for Josie, even when he is deliberately mocked he seems to be absolutely happy. He enjoys the pleasures of this routine but it will change when a teenager is designed to help him at the petrol station.
The portrayal of Josie is carried out by means of using the camera as a mere spectator in the story, as an objective eye that witnesses the events. It shows us Josie as he really is, without taking into account the subjective point of view of the rest of characters, giving the film an intimate and melancholic mood.
Another remarkable issue is that, with a low budget and an ordinary plot, Abramson achieves to tell a warm story, full of humanity, halfway between comedy and tragedy, in which a little piece of reality can be seen.
Abramson takes great delight in using long sequences full of long shots, so the movie depicts the Irish countryside with a lot of outdoors sequences.
Perhaps, the only negative thing about this film is its slow speed (regarding that it is only an hour and twenty minutes long). At some points this paused rhythm makes the movie tedious and difficult to bear, but it also seems that it is what the director intended: to make the audience stop and enjoy watching the details of each shot.
One of the most interesting aspects of the film is the interpretation of Pat Shortt embodying the naïve Josie. The protagonist of the film is an adorable simpleton who enjoys his banal life and his boring employment at the petrol station. Despite of his utter solitude, everything seems to be alright for Josie, even when he is deliberately mocked he seems to be absolutely happy. He enjoys the pleasures of this routine but it will change when a teenager is designed to help him at the petrol station.
The portrayal of Josie is carried out by means of using the camera as a mere spectator in the story, as an objective eye that witnesses the events. It shows us Josie as he really is, without taking into account the subjective point of view of the rest of characters, giving the film an intimate and melancholic mood.
Another remarkable issue is that, with a low budget and an ordinary plot, Abramson achieves to tell a warm story, full of humanity, halfway between comedy and tragedy, in which a little piece of reality can be seen.
Abramson takes great delight in using long sequences full of long shots, so the movie depicts the Irish countryside with a lot of outdoors sequences.
Perhaps, the only negative thing about this film is its slow speed (regarding that it is only an hour and twenty minutes long). At some points this paused rhythm makes the movie tedious and difficult to bear, but it also seems that it is what the director intended: to make the audience stop and enjoy watching the details of each shot.
Tell Your Friends