With its trio of Golden Globe wins earlier this week, The Banshees of Inisherin offers yet more proof that Irish cinema is going through a purple patch at present. From 2021’s whip-smart psychological horror You Are Not My Mother to last year’s poignant meditation on the shortcomings and cruelties of the Irish immigration system Aisha, and now global success (and, it seems likely, Oscar nominations to come later this month) for the tragicomedy starring Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell, Irish filmmakers are making their presence felt on the global stage.

The latest addition to this list is Róise & Frank, an Irish-language movie that is due for release in the United States later this year. Here’s what we know about the comedy-drama.

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Róise & Frank: The Plot

Róise & Frank is set in the Gaeltacht, a region of mostly rural communities in Ireland in which the Irish language is still widely spoken. Róise lives alone, having lost her husband Frank after decades of marriage two years before the events of the film take place. Suddenly, she finds an apparently stray dog that attaches itself to her and Róise finds her spirits beginning to lift, to the relief of friends and family.

Where this heart-warming narrative starts to take a turn for the bizarre, however, is the point at which Róise becomes convinced that her new dog is actually her husband, brought back to her through reincarnation. After a while, she begins to call him by her husband’s name, and her friends start to see traits in him that correspond with those of her late spouse. The dog’s knowledge of the traditional Irish sport of hurling, a game which Frank knew intimately, only serves as further confirmation to Róise that he is indeed her husband, come back to life in canine form.

Once they see the improvement in her demeanor, members of the community accept Róise’s proclamations, and even start thinking of the dog as Frank themselves. But Róise’s obsession with the dog becomes so overwhelming that her adult son begins to suspect that his mother is losing her mind. Once “Frank” starts intimidating Róise’s neighbor, an uncertain future lies ahead for both dog and owner.

With such an outlandish premise at its heart, it would be easy to overplay the comic element, or indeed to lay on the moral of the story — that people can and do find innovative ways to cope with crippling grief — with too much zeal. But Róise & Frank manages the difficult task of confronting the issue of the loneliness and despair that so often accompanies the loss of a loved one without coming over as sentimental or maudlin. The comic moments maintain a certain levity, and steady pacing from directors Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy keep the film from veering into rumination. The film was funded in part by Screen Ireland and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.

Róise & Frank: The Cast

As befits an independent film made in Irish Gaelic, the cast is dominated by Irish speakers, and heading the cast is Bríd Ní Neachtain as Róise. Having spent most of her career working in Irish television, Ní Neachtain has had numerous starring roles in several Irish-language dramas, including the long-running Irish-language soap opera Ros na Rún, and the flagship miniseries about Irish emigration to Canada in the late ninteenth century during the Gold Rush, An Klondike (2015-17). Prior to her supporting role in The Banshees of Inisherin last year, her most prominent appearance in film was in the Irish-language entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2018 Academy Awards, the biopic Song of Granite, about the life of an Irish traditional singer.

Also appearing is Lorcan Cranitch. Cranitch’s extensive work as a character actor in British and Irish television has included stints opposite Kenneth Branagh in the miniseries Shackleton about the famous polar explorer, as a crime boss of the ancient world in the HBO/BBC co-production Rome, and in a recurring role in the BBC’s fantasy drama Atlantis. More recently, Cranitch appeared in the 2018 drama The Dig, as well as in last year’s Aisha opposite Letitia Wright.

Cillian O’Gairbhi also stars as Róise’s son Alan. O’Gairbhi’s television credits include the Irish-Canadian historical drama Dead Still and the Irish crime thriller Blood; he made his big screen debut in 2021’s Foscadh. Other cast members include Cormac Hennessy and Maureen Hughes.

Release Date

Róise & Frank premiered in Irish cinemas in September last year to positive reviews, and won Best Ensemble at the 2022 Dublin International Film Festival. A general release date in American cinemas is forthcoming, but according to Variety, will be sometime in early 2023.