Two for the Road
Amidst spontaneous travels around 1990s Ireland, Oscar, a young boy, finds himself navigating the true essence of adventure and chaos with his father, one spirited weekend away at a time.
Interview with Director Lochlainn McKenna
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Catharsis! I had a wild childhood and I think these stories are bubbling up inside me and need to come out in some guise, just turns out in my case it's in a film.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Anyone who has ever had a complex relationship with their parents, or is in fact a parent with a complex relationship with their own child will really connect with this film. You should watch it because it will give you a new perspective on that relationship and, just like me, you too might find the film quite cathartic.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
All the themes in this film are both personal and universal... to me, at least anyway. The film touches on themes of familial love, it's a commentary on how we can still love and care for someone even when we are fighting our own demons.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The film was initially a short story called Guinness & Coke that I wrote during the pandemic. So the film has kind of had three lives: the story, the script, the film. It's changed quite a bit between those three but the general structure has never really changed. There wasn't much external dialogue in the story so all of the dialogue that's in the film was either added at the script stage or through improv in rehearsals / on the day.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, to be honest. I've met people outside the screenings who have been in floods of tears not able to articulate how they've felt because it's triggered something in them and that's absolutely flattened me, to be honest. To think this film could have that sort of effect on people makes me incredibly proud and humbled.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Enhanced, I would say. I've always believed the story was worth telling and had always hoped it would do well with an audience but I guess you don't know until the time comes, do you? But seeing those reactions and the incredibly kind and generous comments that people have passed on to us has made me realise that there's so much to this film that people are able to connect with universally despite it being an incredibly personal and very specific story from my childhood.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We're on the Oscar long list so I guess we're looking for academy voters to get eyes on it and hopefully watch it and love it when the time comes to vote in December.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We have a wonderful distribution company, Network Ireland Television and brilliant, tenacious publicists in London Flair PR so to be honest we're just looking to get the word out there about the film and try and get as many people to know about the film as is humanly possible!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I just want people to connect with it emotionally. It's as simple as that. It's a pretty heartbreaking two-hander. And it can be a bit challenging for people I think when they come out of seeing it because you have a lot of sympathy for the father but a lot of empathy for the son and it's just a bad situation and you want them both to come out of it okay and I think that's what makes the film so strong.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
I think the film explores the malleability of children and the influence our parents have on us and that love really can triumph… and that that, perhaps, isn’t always a good thing. That's the takeaway. If your parent puts in the time to see you and if they love you unconditionally does that mean they're a good parent? Even if their decisions for you aren't always in your best interest? I think what I'd like people to think about coming out of the film.
Would you like to add anything else?
Massive shout out to 13-year-old Ewan Morris who plays Oscar on his screen debut. His first-ever audition in person and he absolutely smashed it. He's a wonderful human and a terrific actor and the sky is the limit for him! I want this film to succeed for him as much as for any other reason. Seeing him beam on set and at the premiere has been the thing that I've been most proud of!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I'm in the process of sourcing funding for a documentary that we will hopefully shoot next Spring in Ireland. I'm also working on another short film and writing a book that will be 10 stories long each on about 10 different weekends I spent with my father as a child. That'll be the basis for the feature version of Two For The Road.
Interview: November 2023
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Two for the Road
Amidst spontaneous travels around 1990s Ireland, Oscar, a young boy, finds himself navigating the true essence of adventure and chaos with his father, one spirited weekend away at a time.
Length: 18:00
Director: Lochlainn McKenna
Producer: Gráinne Dwyer and Natalie Britton
Writer: Lochlainn McKenna
About the writer, director and producer:
LOCHLAINN MCKENNA is a multi-award-winning writer and director from Cork City, Ireland. McKenna has worked extensively in advertising and has directed TV ads for brands such as Specsavers, Tesco, Guinness and Sky amongst many others. He has shot in several countries across the world. He’s also directed music videos for bands such as Westlife and Keane. His music video work for Daithí was nominated for a UKMVA as well as winning him the ‘Best New Director’ Award at the prestigious Kinsale Shark Awards. Two for the Road won the RTÉ Francis McManus Short Story competition before it was made into a short film with its original title Guinness & Coke. He’s currently working on developing that story into a book and, furthermore, a feature film.
GRÁINNE DWYER is an award-winning producer for commercials, films and music videos. Gráinne began her career in 2017 setting up her company Heritage with her co-founder Fiona Dwyer in rural Skibbereen, West Cork. Heritage is now one of the leading female-led and net zero production companies in Ireland specialising in film, commercials and music videos. Regarding filmography, Gráinne directed her first funded short for RTÉ STORYLAND (2019), her company went on to produce short films for VIRGIN MEDIA, and many other Irish-funded shorts.
NATALIE BRITTON is a multi-award-winning independent film producer & actor. She has been producing narrative content in Los Angeles since 2016 and has produced over 30 short films. In 2018, she won the Irish Screen America Rising Star Producer Award and went on to found her own woman-led production company, Queen's Gambit Films, with partner Kate Hamilton. As an actor, in addition to playing Oscar’s Mum in the short, she has appeared in many movies & network TV series including NCIS: LA, Maxine and Quantum Leap and will be recurring in the next season of a very popular HBO show this Winter.
Key cast: Steve Wall plays Hugh, Ewan Morris plays Oscar, Natalie Britton plays Oscars mum, Brendan Dunlea plays Craig, Micky Keating plays Peter Tim Landers plays drunk man, Johnny O'Dowd's primary photo Johnny O'Dowd plays stotious man and Ger O'Leary plays Sean the barman.
Hashtags used: #Twofortheroad
Website: www.twofortheroadfilm.com
Other: IMDb
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
KIFF - October 19th - 22nd
Cork Film Fest - Nov 9th -26th