Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases


The Disappearance of Finbar (1996)

Director: Sue Clayton

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Bored by life on a Dublin housing estate, rebellious teen Finbar Flynn (Rhys Meyers) is used to disappointing the everyone's expectations of him, but not to the extent of vanishing without trace, leaving only the unanswered question: did he jump, fall, or was he even pushed from that unfinished motorway flyover? The mystery of whether he's dead or alive haunts the community, his mum cracks up and his best friend, Danny (Griffin), can't seem to get on with living his own life. Then, one night three years later, Danny hears from Finbar, berating him about a pop video commemorating his disappearance. The call is from Stockholm, and Danny leaves on a search that will lead to the snowy wastes of Lapland. This quirky comedy-drama is hard to categorise, but extremely watchable. For one thing, Danny's odyssey involves encounters with a variety of engagingly eccentric, deftly drawn characters resulting in deadpan, off-the-wall humour reminiscent of Jarmusch or Kaurismäki. The performances are appealing, too, with Griffin's mix of innocence and indignation holding the rambling story together, and Rhys Meyers oozing cool, feckless charisma.

Author: GA

Time Out Film Guide


What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields





Top Stories

Ridley Scott interview

Ridley Scott interview

Director Ridley Scott tells Cath Clarke why he's making a science fiction comeback

Cannes Film Festival 2012: half-time report

Cannes Film Festival 2012: half-time report

Dave Calhoun reports on the hits, misses and a shocking new masterpiece from Michael Haneke

Wes Anderson interview

Wes Anderson interview

Cath Clarke talks to the director of Cannes's opening film

Open-air movies in London

Open-air movies in London

Cath Clarke rounds up this summer's crop of outdoor film screenings

The 100 best French films

The 100 best French films

In honour of Cannes, we reveal the best French films of all time

Ken Loach interview

Ken Loach interview

Ken Loach talks to us about his Cannes Film Festival entry 'The Angels' Share'