Good Vibrations

Good Vibrations (directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn) is my film of the year. It is based on the true story of Terri Hooley (played here by Richard Dormer). The movie has received many awards including the Galway Film Fleadh and the Belfast Film Festival Audience award, Best Script at the Dinard Festival and was nominated for three Irish Film and Television awards (Best Film, Best Actor and Best Costume), winning one (Best Costume).  Northern Ireland is a place long divided by many different titles. Irish and English, Catholic and Protestant, rich and poor, wracked by terror attacks, roadside interrogations and disappearances. One man, Terri Hooley decides it’s the perfect place to set up a record shop and in doing so accidentally starts a music revolution.

Good Vibrations may be a little hard to follow for anyone who isn’t familiar with the history behind it; the Plantations, the Act of Union, the civil wars, Partition, but the underlying message is universal. Music is a way to build bridges. The musicians whom Hooley encounters in his studio come from all over the North, some are Protestant, some Catholic. There are even a few atheists who get their time on stage. All are bound together by their love of music which unites them across social and religious differences and age gaps,  even when others are more than happy to draw whatever lines and divisions they can.

Good Vibrations doesn’t shy away from some of the trouble of the times, with some characters fleeing for safety, attempted abductions, and a surprisingly brutal attack on Hooley all scenes illustrating just how dangerous it was to live in Belfast. If anything, the film could have shown more of the true conflicts and challenges to illustrate the kind of opposition Hooley found himself fighting against.  The sudden unexpected bursts of violence are used to great effect.

Highly recommended.

Donal O’Connor

@goodvibesfilm @The_Undertones_ @thedylanmoran @IFTA @BelfastFilmFes1