A Bump Along The Way

After a night out to celebrate her 44th birthday, Pamela (Bronagh Gallagher) has an ill advised dalliance with a man half her age and ends up pregnant and shunned. For Pamela it's a genuine surprise because she thought her chances of conceiving were nil after a bout of endometriosis. For Pamela's 15 year old daughter Allegra (Lola Petticrew) it's a genuine shocker because....well let's just say their relationship isn't exactly all sweetness and light.

In 1991 Bronagh Gallagher played the part of Bernie McGloughlin, a back up singer for The Commitments in the film of the same name. She was a profane joy, easily the best thing about the film. 28 years later she finally gets her own starring vehicle and once again she lights up the screen. Her Pamela feels like a genuine person, flawed to the hilt but loving life, dashing headlong into it and not caring a jot about it all. Until the day it comes back to bite her on the arse and she's finally forced to grow up and start acting her age. Prosecco is out, quinoa is in and as her pregnancy comes to term, she has to come to terms with the fact that she messed things up on her first go around but this is a second chance and it's one to grab with both hands.

As a storyline line it's nothing new but Gallagher does it all so well and embues it with so much heart you can't help but get caught up. Lola Petticrew as her stroppy teenage daughter Allegra doesn't fair as well. She's a fine actress but gets saddled with a storyline that adds little and kinda goes nowhere. A Bump Along The Way is the story of two women dealing with massive upheaval in their personal lives but Allegra's plot just feels so slight in comparison to her mother's. An unrequited crush, new friends, a first drink, it's stuff you'd expect to see in an episode of Home and Away and it all comes to nothing when Allegra ends the film in more or less the same place as she started. It feels like an afterthought.

One thing the film does very well is how it shines a light on the way society treats women and men differently when it comes to the issue of children. The fathers of both Pamela's children have turned their back on her (Barry, the 2nd father won't even drive her home after) and she's the one dealing with the aftermath. Both make it clear to her they didn't sign up for kids and it shows up the blinding double standards that come with sexual relationships. Men get to have their fun and get to piss off. Women are left facing a lifetime to thankless care taking and a couple of blistering arguments between Pamela and Allegra make it very clear as to which side director Shelly Love's sympathies lie. It's affecting stuff and the shots of Pamela's left sitting alone once again will choke you up, her forced smile hiding a swirl of sadness.

It's nice too to see a film set in Northern Ireland which makes no reference to the troubles. This is a story that takes place everywhere and it's refreshing to see people just getting on with their lives despite what came before and what's looming on the horizon. One scene of Allegra contemplating life on the famous Peace Bridge is the only real allusion to the town she loves so well. And who can blame her. It's a hell of a photogenic town

You won't get much new here but you will get an enchanting performance from one of Ireland's best actors. It's worth watching this to see Bronagh Gallagher shine. Oh and to hear a fanny joke for the ages..