Oscar-nominated for his screenplay for In The Name Of The Father, Terry George treads familiar territory in his directorial debut, Some Mother's Son, but this time approaches the subject from a different angle.
Prime Suspect's Helen Mirren portrays Kathleen Quigley, an Irish mother who is torn between saving the life of her son, who has gone on a prolonged hunger strike, or honouring his wishes by letting him die for the Republican cause.
"The story of women in the Irish conflict is usually passed over for the action stuff," says George. "Traditionally, mothers stand on the pavement cheering their sons off to war, and then mourn quietly when they come back dead. On this occasion, they were forced into a more dramatic role."
Set during the 1981 Maze Prison hunger strike, when 10 families chose to let their sons die rather than allow prison doctors save their lives, the film focuses on the emotions of Quigley and Annie McPeake, played by Fionnula Flanagan.
Both their sons are imprisoned IRA members protesting against being labelled as criminals instead of political prisoners.
In the final stages of their hunger-strike, they both fall into comas - whereupon the mothers, as next of kin, are legally entitled to call upon the doctors to save their sons' lives George began writing the screenplay in 1990, but broke off to work on Jim Sheridan's In The Name Of The Father.
The feature's 1993 box-office success resulted in a deal with the New York production company Hell's Kitchen, a distribution deal with Columbia and a chance for Terry to wear the director's cap. "And why not?" asks George. "It's a story I wanted to tell."
On set, George's collaborative style allowed him to draw on Mirren's vast experience (The Long Good Friday, Excalibur). "She brings a level of humanity to the project and she doesn't just box in her own corner," George elaborates. "She could tell if we needed to spend more time somewhere, or if we needed to get a move on."
For co-producer Ed Burke, the film's selection for Un Certain Regard represents a unique opportunity: "The story has a universal element,' he says. "It's about the people behind the headlines, the families of people in the news, the mothers and fathers."
Adam Minns
Prod Co: Hell's Kitchen
Prod: Jim Sheridan, Arthur Lappin, Ed Burke
Dir: Terry George
Scr: Terry George, Jim Sheridan
Ph: Geoffrey Simpson
Art dir: Connor Devlin
Prod des: David Wilson
Mus: Bill Whelan
Ed: Craig McKay
Running time: 112mins
Cast: Helen Mirren, Fionnula Flanagan, Aiden Gillen
International Sales: Castle Rock International
