THE STORY – 93-year-old Irish writer Edna O’Brien recounts her controversial life, novels, love affairs, and stardom through personal journals read by actress Jessie Buckley, with perspectives from writers like Gabriel Byrne and Walter Mosley.
THE CAST – Jessie Buckley
THE TEAM – Sinéad O’Shea (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 99 Minutes
The country of Ireland is having a moment in today’s popular culture as many artisans, especially a slew of actors today, are gaining a large influence in their respective creative industries. That being said, “The Land of Saints and Scholars” has never been short of generation-defining talent. One of these talents is the prolific novelist, playwright, and poet Edna O’Brien. A writer far ahead of her time, O’Brien often fought against the many social taboos embedded in her culture throughout her career. While many in the younger generation might not be as familiar with her work, her personal life is equally fascinating. Irish journalist and documentarian Sinéad O’Shea certainly thinks so, as her new documentary, “Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story,” is not only an entertaining retrospective of O’Brien’s work but also an ode to the person behind the words.
There’s a melancholy instantly instilled in “Blue Road” that feels reminiscent of not only O’Brien’s work but also what was experienced throughout her life. Early on, the film establishes her frustrated adolescence living in the country with a community enclosed by overtly religious devotion. O’Brien sought more from life, something with a bit more grandeur. These frustrations and aspirations are communicated through the personal thoughts of her diary entries that span years of her life. O’Shea also uses interviews O’Brien participated in throughout her career, as well as recent interviews with O’Brien for the film that led up to her passing earlier this year. The way O’Shea works with editor Gretta Ohle in using found footage throughout the film is quite clever. Multiple moments exploring certain works of O’Brien’s career are mixed with home videos from O’Brien’s life and film adaptations from her novels. Hearing excerpts of O’Brien’s “The Country Girls” intercut with scenes from the film and what O’Brien was experiencing is incredible to witness. Audiences get a sense of totality by viewing O’Brien from multiple perspectives and seeing how an artist takes their real-life struggles and morphs them into a work of art.
“Blue Road” finds parallels between O’Brien’s life and her work, as the former constantly experienced censorship of some shape or form, whether it was critics deeming her work too promiscuous or the men in her personal life attempting to discredit her achievements. O’Brien’s writing often explored the proclivity of female desires and was regarded as too controversial for readers in her home country, leading to most of her work being banned. The relationships in her life also greatly influenced her writing, from her husband, who grew bitter with the success she experienced early into her career, to the whirlwind affair that left her in emotional turmoil.
A major aspect that infuses vitality into this film is the wonderful narration by Academy Award-nominated actor Jessie Buckley. The Irish native’s role in the movie constantly ebbs and flows, not only as a structural hand to guide viewers through O’Brien’s life but essentially becoming O’Brien at times. In a sense, Buckley performs O’Brien’s diary entries as a teleplay eerily similar to that of Ethan Hawke’s “The Last Hollywood Stars” (albeit in a far more simplified manner). Buckley’s voice embodies the spirit of O’Brien, almost as if she was back from the dead, even if only for a brief period. The narration is so well done that it’s nearly as if the pain, elation, and every other complex emotion O’Brien feels could be transferred to those watching the film.
The back half of “Blue Road” loses a little momentum, which is somewhat ironic, as the latter portion of O’Brien’s career morphs into something completely different from what attracted many to her work. Still, O’Shea manages to rope viewers back in with a finale that leaves you with an understanding of who O’Brien was in possibly one of the last documented moments of her life. It’s amazing to see that the suffocated country girl who yearned for a lavish life would, one day, be surrounded by the likes of Marlon Brando and Sean Connery. This was all despite a life that she struggled to maintain and was only a temporary solution for deeper issues that she battled until the end.
“Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story” is a documentary as contemplative as it is celebratory. It’s an examination of an artist who found success in a time when her views on pleasure and desire were not promoted conversed as conventionally. It’s curious to see how many in today’s generation adapting perceptions on sexuality feel reminiscent of a far more conservative time would react to O’Brien’s work. Luckily for them, “Blue Road” paints a broad enough picture to give reasoning on why works like “The Country Girls” or “Casualties of Peace” are essential printed works that will last till the end of time.
