Every once in a while, a film comes along that feels like a complete breath of fresh air. Irish-language thriller Aontas is one of those films. Though there are elements here that we’ve seen before, there’s something about the way director-writer Damian McCann and co-writer Sarah Gordon fit the puzzle pieces together that makes it feel completely original.
Told in reverse chronology, the story begins at its end–with the aftermath of the heist gone horribly wrong. Or so it seems. First responders surround a shocked and bloodied older woman, Cait (Brid Brennan), as a body is carried out of a building on the main street. Locals chatter about what went down, pestering her with questions about the assailant, his weapons (a machete?) and how much money he got away with. As the clock winds backward, driven by a powerful score from composer Daithi O’Dronai, audiences are gradually shown the real and shocking story.
Each temporal shift reveals essential pieces of the plot, starting with the most recent developments and working backward. The first wind-back disabuses audiences of all notions that the robbery of the Northern Irish town’s Credit Union was pulled off by a solitary man. Instead, we’re introduced to the team of three at the heart of the deed: hard-bitten Cáit, young and bruised Sheila (Eva-Jane Gaffney), and the mastermind, Cáit’s estranged and equally stoic sister Mairéad (Carrie Crowley). As they dress themselves in black, complete with requisite balaclavas, the camera follows them into their chosen branch and almost immediately things take a turn for the worst.
It’s made clear, too, that this is a town on the brink of economic collapse. The local quarry–the heart of the village–has been shut down by local slimy bigwig Dara (Marcus Lamb). There are irate protestors, exhausted police, two possibly connected funerals weighing everyone down, and panic as the Credit Union fails to keep up with the demand of a newly-unemployed membership.
As we discover, bit by bit, what drove these wholly different women to such extremes, it becomes clear that each is very much the product of circumstances. Mairéad, in particular, is dogged by past decisions and events that weigh heavily on her weary shoulders. The script is particularly adept at delivering all the necessary details of the characters’ past and present in tight, economic ways. There’s not a wasted piece of dialogue to be found here. McCann and Gordon assume, refreshingly, a level of intelligence in their audience and trust they will follow the twists and turns as they happen.
So much, too, is delivered in the silences between the lines, thanks to exquisite performances from the film’s two leads: Crowley and Brennan. Though not particularly well-known on this side of the pond, both actresses are vets of stage and screen and they carry the film expertly from the first to last frames. Damien Elliott’s camera is relentless in its presence, too, giving neither woman a chance to rest or withdraw from the spotlight. They wear their complicated pasts on their faces, with no fear of showing their lines and wrinkles with little to no makeup, and their tension becomes ours within minutes of their introduction.
The supporting cast is likewise pitch perfect, with Art Parkinson as rookie Garda officer Éamonn offering some of the film’s only lighter moments with ease. Mary Ryan takes on the role of town busybody Mary with aplomb, while Lamb and Seán T. Ó Meallaigh bring appropriate levels of menace and entitlement to the reprehensibly smooth town bullies.
Aontas, whose translated meaning of ‘union’ has several meanings here, is exquisitely put together. Editor Sorcha Nic Giolla Mhuire deftly handles the swift cuts and timeline shifts and, along with the filmmakers themselves, prevents the film from ever feeling gimmicky in its delivery. This is a story of strong women brought to the edge by circumstance, and to classify it as a thriller or heist film is to do it a disservice. There are elements of a classic western about it, with shades of noir colouring the action, too. It’s rare for a film to take big swings, even in smaller films, and connect each time, but McCann pulls it off each and every time.
There’s so much to appreciate here from a filmmaking-perspective, but when it comes down to it it is Crowley and Brennan that make this film a true success. Aontas a true master class from both. They are riveting in the explosive moments, but even more so in the quiet ones. As tight as the rest of the film is, without these central performances, it’s possible it loses some of its edge. But instead, we get a perfect meeting of materials and performers and, with a searingly clear vision and effective from the filmmakers, the result is one of the best films of 2025.
Aontas had its Canadian premiere at this year’s Blue Mountain Film Festival. For more from the festival, head here.
