Home » The Achill Island Film Festival 2024 Presents: All Politics is Local
In Irish politics, ‘If you’re hungry enough, you’ll dig up the tar on the road with your teeth to get a vote.’ Unbelievably, your running partner poses a greater threat than the other parties, and the most thrilling and devastating competition arises from this internal rivalry. Drawing from a whopping three decades of ethnographic research, Australian directors Chris Eipper and Declan Mortimer Eipper have captured the competitiveness and absurdity of Irish politics in their documentary All Politics is Local. I was lucky enough to experience this one-of-a-kind documentary as part of the Achill Island Film Festival 2024
The Eippers’ document the parliamentary elections that took place in the rural constituency of West-Cork in 2007, the tail end of the Celtic Tiger. Chris Eipper was introduced to Irish politics as a fledgling ethnographer, he wanted to capture this on film and this idea intensified when Cork politician Denis O’Donovan was elected to represent the local constituency. With the current general local elections just around the corner, it couldn’t have been better timing.
Anfa Collective was lucky enough to be invited to the third Achill Island Film Festival and view this documentary alongside fellow movie lovers and filmmakers alike. The three-day event showcases a myriad of impressive Irish talent and this resurrected relic is no exception. I didn’t know what to expect from this and was somewhat apprehensive, but to my surprise, I can say that it was the most entertaining and humorous of the features and received the best audience reception from the festival-goers.
This documentary throws you straight into the deep end with little to no air. With sporadic cuts of Denis O’Donovan and his fellow opponents as the national anthem blares in the background, creating an overstimulating experience. The thick Cork accent was the cherry on top of this experience and I must admit, at times I wondered if the American tourist behind me wished there were subtitles. In a way, it made it more comical and just added to the insanity that is Irish politics.
What I loved about this documentary is that no narrator instructs us what to believe; instead, the directors wisely let the candidates speak for themselves. It was refreshing to watch a documentary about Ireland with no shots or cutaways of the typical picturesque landscape of Hollywood productions, the focus was solely on its human subjects. It’s almost as if O’Donovan and his fellow candidates, such as Jim O’Keefe and Paddy Sheehan, switched off the political theatrics and showed their true selves, with some candidates almost treating it as confession or a therapy session. Combining keen insights into the broader Irish society of 2007 and, a concise explanation of the Irish political system’s operation. All Politics is Local accomplishes the difficult challenge of extracting truthful statements from politicians.
The access and footage that the Eippers’ managed to gain is incredible, from the candidates out canvassing potential voters, speaking at rallies, giving interviews to the local radio, and meeting supporters, it is no surprise that they had over 90 hours worth of footage. We even see some familiar faces of hated Irish politics such as Enda Kenny, Micheál Martin and Brian Cowan in their element and doing their political rounds. I can’t help but think people were more inclined to be their authentic selves, as it was outside broadcasters capturing the events and not living up to the expectations of the “acclaimed” RTE or other Irish broadcasting networks. Apart from the Ripper’s receiving a salary from La Trobe University when shooting the film and being granted money to purchase camera equipment, the film was entirely self-funded.
We gain behind-the-scenes access to the politicians out on the playing field, knocking on doors, campaigning and even engaging in doorstep debates with residents. Here we see the raw and unfiltered interactions of the politicians and people, producing some of the most memorable scenes. A comical moment is when a desperate O’Donovan shoves his flyer into a locals unlocked car rather than their mailbox when no one answers the door to listen to his rehearsed script. We see some more heart-warming moments when O’Donovan retreats to the safety of a pub and accepts his defeat with the inspiring words “My gain was greater than my loss…”
While the faces of Irish politics have changed, this documentary proves that the rules have not. This piece of cinema is more relevant than ever, with the upcoming local elections this documentary gives us exclusive behind-the-scenes access and confirms that one is still more likely to get a vote by proving personal favours like fixing the town’s pothole. This documentary highlights the depressing and embarrassing state of Irish politics, it also reveals the brutality and the tactics of political competitiveness. Denis O’Donovan was snubbed of his victory, even though he was by far the most qualified candidate, he was still outdone by someone playing the people game, by one of his very own.
All Politics is Local is a fantastic piece of documentary filmmaking. Regardless of political opinions or beliefs, I strongly urge you to try this movie. Not only will you become lost in the peculiar world that is Irish politics, but I can assure you will have endless entertainment from an impressively compelling narrative.
