Sunday 2 May 2021

Circle of Friends (1995 Pat O'Connor)

Andrew Davies adapted Maeve Binchy's book about young love affecting three friends in and around Dublin in the 1950s. Minnie Driver, wonderful in her first feature, falls for rugby playing medical student Chris O'Donnell, Geraldine O'Rawe for student Aiden Gillan, but Saffron Burrows has more ambitious aims towards English bounder Colin Firth. Meanwhile the lizard-like Alan Cummings is after Minnie. Good secondary cast too includes people like Ciaran Hinds, Mick Lally, Britta Smith, John Kavanagh, Ruth McCabe.

When it ends on Minnie saying she knows what to do with her life - become a writer - you sense the whole thing may be autobiographical.

Great performances, nicely realised by O'Connor, good detail. Production designer Jim Clay worked on The Singing DetectiveAunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, The Trench, Children of Men and Match Point; art director Chris Seagers also Aunt Julia, and Saving Private Ryan. Q was clearly feeling tired - she didn't say 'Nice bus' once (and there were a few on offer). John Jympson edited, the music's by Michael Kamen, Kenneth MacMillan is the DP.

Made for ITV.

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