Film director: Cobh’s my second home

A compelling new film, Reawakening, chronicles a family’s tumultuous journey as they navigate the unexpected return of their long-lost daughter after a decade.

The film stars Jared Harris and Juliet Stevenson as a couple whose 14-year-old daughter Clare disappeared without a trace.

Ten years later, Clare, played by Erin Doherty, turns up on their doorstep but can’t or won’t explain her absence.

The film’s writer and director, Virginia Gilbert, says she was blessed with her cast, and was overjoyed that Jared Harris, well known for this role in Chernobyl, agreed to play John.

“When you’re thinking about getting a movie together, you always have a wish list of actors; this time, the gods of film were smiling on us,” said Virginia.

“I have followed Jared’s career for years. I had desperately wanted him, but my casting director had checked his dates, and he was unavailable for our filming window because he was shooting Foundation for Apple TV.

2Through a friend, I got the script to him. He read it, asked if we could chat, and said yes, he would make time for it.

He is a phenomenal talent and a joy to share this experience with.

Harris comes from acting royalty. He is the son of Limerick-born Richard Harris and has worked as an actor for almost 40 years. He is an executive producer, which Gilbert says raised the film to a new level.

“It was a very low budget, but he very kindly came on board as an executive producer, which has been fantastic because it has elevated the film.

“It meant that I could discuss production issues with him, marketing, and all the aspects of film-making behind the scenes.”

While Harris’s character, John, is plagued by questions about why Clare left, and what she has done for the last decade, Stevenson’s character, Mary, is so happy to have their daughter back that she wants to ignore why Clare left and celebrate her return.

Gilbert says it was a complex role to play, and needed an actor of Stevenson’s calibre.

Juliet is phenomenal. We had so many long discussions because I think her role is psychologically the hardest to make plausible.

“I always knew it had to be an actor who could make that utterly real, someone you would believe how she reacts. I also needed someone who felt like she had gone through these years of grief with her husband.

“Juliet and Jared’s remarkable chemistry makes their relationship on-screen feel so real.”

The film is essentially a three-hander, and the script needed a strong actor to play Clare. Gilbert says Doherty was her first choice, and feels fortunate that she agreed to sign on.

“I started watching The Crown, and when I saw Erin as Princess Anne, I was blown away by her.

2She did a BBC drama called Chloe and gave a phenomenal turn in that. She’d been high on my list for a long time.

She said yes immediately when I approached her.

Gilbert did extensive research before making the film, and had help from a family member.

“My sister has worked for a long time in psychiatric nursing. She worked a lot with the homeless, so she helped Erin and I understand how someone might behave if they were homeless or missing,” explained Gilbert.

I researched the practical elements of what happens when someone goes missing. What are the police procedures? What’s the level of involvement from officials?.

The film’s authenticity has been recognised by a charity called Missing People that supports families of missing people.

“I’m thrilled and honoured that they fully endorsed the film,” said Gilbert.

“We shot some scenes in a real shelter, and the background artists are shelter users.”

People would expect the family’s reunion to be joyful, but the reality is far more complex - frustration and anger caused by the ten-year absence and the need for explanations cause a rift.

“There’s a film I’ve always loved which is based on a book about a real-life historical case called The Return Of Martin Guerre,” said Gilbert.

“It was a medieval case of somebody returning after many years’ absence, and there being very different reactions from people who knew and loved him, including his wife. 

I was always fascinated by the psychology of dealing with loss, dealing with grief, and what do you do then? How do you forge a new landscape of life?

Born in England, Gilbert has called Ireland home for many years. She studied drama and English here and has filmed several times in locations across the country, including Cork, a county she is very close to.

 She is married to the Cobh comedian Keith Farnan, and the couple split their time between Dublin and Cobh.

“We have a chaotic home life. Keith is often on the road doing shows, and I’m either filming or editing. Cobh is always a wonderful respite, and I absolutely love it there. It is so beautiful by the sea. Cobh is my second home.”

Gilbert hopes audiences will take a message of hope from her film, despite its intense subject matter.

“I have always felt and seen this is an extremely hopeful film. I always pitched it as a study of grief masquerading as a psychological thriller, but ultimately, it is about looking at how we deal with loss and tragedy and how we honour the life that we’ve been given and those that we love, loved and that we’ve lost. Ultimately, the only way forward is to love.”

Reawakening opens in cinemas from September 13, Cert: 15a.