Irish horror You Are Not My Mother featured at the Dublin International Film Festival. Directed by Dublin filmmaker Kate Dolan, the film uses traditional Irish folklore as a medium through which to explore themes of mental health and the infallibility of parents. The result is an unsettling yet enthralling watch with a standout performance from the young Irish actress Hazel Doupe who was only 18 at the time of filming.
Director Kate Dolan is an IADT National Film School graduate whose previous projects include Little Doll which premiered at the Berlinale International Film Festival in 2016 and Catcalls (2017), a horror following a sexual predator who gets his comeuppance. Speaking with The University Times Dolan says she “always wanted to do horror but in college they kind of steered us away from horror at the time”.
Irish folklore features implicitly throughout You Are Not My Mother and this is no coincidence. Kate Dolan is “fascinated by all of the myths and legends of Ireland” and added that we are “natural storytellers in that way”. As a child, myths of ghouls and banshees intrigued Dolan. With the film, she “wanted to make something that felt like a modern representation of that” and take “folklore that is traditionally represented in the rural and take it into more of an urban setting”. In You Are Not My Mother, Dolan succeeds in combining real life problems with mythical legends.
Growing up in Ireland has hugely influenced Dolan’s creative outlook and she uses the built-up north Dublin setting in the film as a conduit through which to explore important themes. The film’s protagonist Char, played by Hazel Doupe, is thrown into a pool of confusion and terror as she grapples with the declining mental state of her ill mother. When discussing the film’s salient concepts, Dolan reflects that “as a person coming of age you have to kind of come to terms with mental health problems in your family and that they will be a part of you as well”. Mirroring the manner in which Irish folklore has been passed down through generations, the protagonist’ mother’s issues are being passed down to her as “a traumatic event” comes “back to haunt the family”.
Doupe certainly rises to the occasion in her demanding role as the protagonist Char as the events unfold solely through her perspective. Appearing completely unawed by the difficult subject matter of the film, she delivers an unflinchingly breathtaking performance which furthers the lingering sense of dread throughout.
The Irish horror industry appears to be in safe hands. Dolan currently has “some horror features that I am writing at the moment” and has no plans to completely leave her roots behind. She loves “Ireland and our history of storytelling” and hopes to play a big part in the “really bright future for the Irish film industry”. Perhaps, with a bit of time we could have our very own Irish Ari Aster on our hands.
