Calf (2024) Drinking Game & Movie Review
Down a Shot: for each unnerving close-up of the unborn calf foetus moving inside the womb.
Raise a Toast: to Jamie O’Rourke for depicting such a visceral and timely take on domestic abuse
By: Vidal D’costa (A Toast) –
Cáit chances upon her abusive father lying in a pool of blood after a freak incident on their farm. She is caught between a life and death situation, literally, since on the same day, one of the cows on the farm also goes into labour. Yet this grisly scenario also paves a far more hopeful path for both Cáit and her mother to confront as well as walk away from the years of abuse faced at the hands of their mutual tormentor.
A Toast
Author Joyce Rachelle wrote- “Some scars don’t hurt. Some scars are numb. Some scars rid you of the capacity to feel anything ever again”. And in this short film by Jamie O’Rourke (which has also been longlisted for the upcoming Oscars), the scars of its female protagonist(s) speak for themselves. Calf is a story told in silences with minimal dialogue, yet each gaze or mutual satisfied glance exchanged between Cáit and her mum feels symbolic and meaningful.
While it features a fair share of brief shots that can be considered as stomach-churning and quite graphic on their own, such as the rather unsettling but natural closeups of the calf fetus moving about inside its mother’s womb or even the queasy and gory shots coupled with groans of Cáit’s father wrenching himself off the forklift as it lies stuck inside his torso, the short film is more so triggering with its more subtly morbid visuals such as a parting shot of both mother and daughter covered in scars which are left behind by their vile abuser when he was alive.
Furthermore, O’Rourke not only depicts the trauma of domestic abuse survivors through their lens but also excels in emphasising on how walking away from such a hellish household isn’t an easy task, with victims/survivors having to wait it out literally for a death knell to ultimately break free from a lifetime of physical & verbal abuse and mental torture too.
Isabelle Connolly impresses with her on-point expressions as Cáit- whether it is being transfixed by the disturbing scene that this character views as respite or escape from her abuser or turning pale at the shock of seeing her father bleed out in front of her, yet simultaneously not grieving for his loss either. Kate Nic Chonaonaigh offers ample support to her young co-star as Aine (Cáit’s mum).
Verdict
Overall, Calf is a cathartic and harrowing drama and one which will certainly leave an impression on its viewers.
